But It Feels So Right
by Bloody Sunset
Summary: AU Buffy’s just a normal girl who’s lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back? R&R Final Chapter now up!
1. Homeroom Hottie

A/N Hey everyone, going to try my hand at an Au fic, hope you enjoy ^_^  
  
Oh! And so far, Buffy doesn't know Willow or Xander just yet, but they'll make their appearances, don't worry...  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned it, would I be writing this???  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
But It Feels So Right  
  
Buffy stirred, her eyes slowly opening, shinning, and full of confusion. She sits up, and then remembers where she is.  
  
Home.  
  
Or that's what she had been forced to call it for the last seventeen years of her life, but this place was anywhere but home. Her so called parents didn't care what kind of shit she got into, as long as she cost them any more money than that had to spend on her.  
  
She sighs, and rolls over, pulling a very puffy blanket over her head. Why did school start this early? Ok, better question, why did she care?  
  
Yawning, she pushes herself up, and gets out of bed, glaring harshly at her clock, which thankfully, didn't have an alarm.  
  
'6:35, great, this is the perfect time to get up five days a week, 180 days a year... I can't think of anything I would rather do, oh wait, yes I can. Sleep!' she thinks, opening her dresser and pulling out some jeans and a small red tank top.  
  
Pulling her jeans on, and her shirt over her head, she sits down at her desk, and looks in the mirror she had put up so she could fix her hair. Grabbing her brush, she pulls it through her hair carelessly, and then pulls it all back, except for a few short strands, into a high ponytail.  
  
She puts some socks on, followed by her shoes, and stands up again. Picking up her backpack, she walks out of her room. Tiptoeing down the hall, and the stairs, she walks into the kitchen.  
  
Taking an apple from the small basket on the counter, she bites into it and opens the back door, stepping into the backyard.  
  
The sun shown brightly, and it stung her eyes. She put her hand up, shielding them, and continued to make her way out front.  
  
Buffy had decided to walk to school, it was either that, or try to find a ride on such short notice. She really needed to get her license, but then again, even if she did she didn't have a car to drive.  
  
She looks up at the familiar building, and sighs; sometimes you just didn't feel like going to school, today, just happened to be that kind of a day. Next she looks around for her friends, but sadly, they're nowhere to be seen. They never seem to come to school anymore, hell, half of them had already dropped out, the other half, she didn't know what they could be doing now, and personally didn't care. She didn't need to be followed around by people she barely knew, especially if these people called themselves her friends. Sighing again, Buffy walks into the school alone, and goes to her locker.  
  
'42-12-37'  
  
The lock on her locker clicks, and she opens it, grabbing her books in exchange for the small backpack she had been carrying, and heads towards homeroom.  
  
^~*~*~^  
  
Buffy sat down in her seat. She sat in the back of the room near the window, great place to be if you didn't want to be noticed. She looked over to the only other place in the classroom like that you could sit and seem invisible; it was on the other side of the room, three rows over. The person sitting there was never noticed, and he seemed to like it that way.  
  
Angel O'Connor.  
  
What a girly name for a guy, what kind of parents named their boy something like that? Buffy figured it that it must be short for something, but she never dared to ask. Besides, what would a cute boy like that want with a girl who shut the entire world out, save for a few people who barely even took the time to get to know her.  
  
It seemed as though Angel didn't talk to anyone, at all. And, he was pretty good at disappearing if a conversation happened to get to deep, especially if people started to ask questions about him.  
  
Of course this is what she had heard about him, listening to other people talk during her study class. She really didn't know anything about him at all, and personally she really didn't care at this point in her life.  
  
She turned back around, resuming her stare out the window, but strangely found herself staring at the boy in the other corner, and to her surprise, he was staring straight back at her. His chocolate eyes gleaming mischievously back at her. She blinks, looking confused for a minute, then smiles at him, only to receive a casual half-smile back.  
  
"Summers, Buffy." The teacher calls her name, but she barely hears it, lost in this boys eyes. "Miss Summers!" the teacher called again.  
  
"Huh? Oh, here." She says, blushing in embarrassment, looking up at the teacher. Then she turns back to Angel, and to her disappointment, he had turned away, once again staring off into space.  
  
^*~*~*^  
  
Tick-Tock  
  
Tick-Tock  
  
When was that damn bell going to ring? Buffy could have sworn this class ended five minutes ago, but alas, she was still here, listening (or rather not) to her history teacher babble on about the Civil War, or the Vietnam War... or some kind of battle...  
  
Whatever, it didn't matter to her, all Buffy was thinking about was how many more minutes until that bell would ring, and then, freedom!  
  
She had the whole afternoon planned out. First go home, and then do nothing, just like always. It wasn't any fun, but, hey, it's not like there was anything else to do.  
  
Wait. There was. She could go to the Bronze and listen to the music until three AM, then go home and sleep. That was sounding a little better than the first plan.  
  
Ok, so the Bronze it was.  
  
'Good choice Buffy, you can go to the Bronze, and sit there feeling sorry for yourself the entire night...' she thinks, just as the bell rings. She smiles and stands up, almost bolting to the classroom door, when the teacher calls after her.  
  
"Miss Summers, May I have a word with you...?" he asks, sitting down at his desk.  
  
Buffy groans and turns around, heading-back though the mass of students that were trying to get out of the room.  
  
"Sure, what do ya need, teach?" she asks, with fake enthusiasm.  
  
He glares at her, "Now Buffy, you know your marks have been dropping in my class lately, and I feel that you're not doing your best." He says as the last student leaves the classroom, "And I feel that if you understood a little more about what we were doing you would begin to improve in my class, therefore, I am assigning you a pier tutor."  
  
Buffy's mouth falls open. A tutor? A tutor!? She did not need a tutor; he needed to be a little less boring! Then maybe the class would be worth taking.  
  
"But sir, I don't feel I need a tutor..." she begins, but he cuts her off.  
  
"I've already discussed it with your parents, and we just looking for the right student to help you, good day Miss Summers..." he says, dismissing her.  
  
Buffy blinks. 'Great! Just what I need, some stupid smart-ass telling me that I'm not smart enough to graduate high school...' she thinks, turning, and leaving the classroom, wondering what kind of bozo was going to be her tutor.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
A/N Short, just starting, obviously this is a B/A fic, so yeah... and the tutor is not Angel, so don't get your hopes up....  
  
~Bloody SunSet 


	2. And We Meet The Tutor

A/N Hey gimme a break if this ends up short, I do have my other fic to work on, plus a B/S one a note book I'm going to put up as soon as it's finished, so... this is me asking for a break, ok?  
  
Thanks to Tariq, Arobow, urangel, Shadow of Silver and sandy-eco, for reviewing. It is greatly appreciated, especially because it says I did good and not that I suck, Thank you!  
  
Disclaimer: To own or not to own... Well, I don't even have a choice there Joss already has the copyrights...  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
Last Chapter Summary: Buffy notices Angel, and he sort of seems to notice her in homeroom. Then, Buffy was assigned a tutor for English class, of whom I am yet to tell you the name of, but you'll find out in this chapter...  
  
But it Feels So Right  
  
The Bronze, the greatest place in Sunnydale for hanging, or dancing, or hiding. It had just what every teenager needed, a place to be without parents. And that's just what Buffy needed now.  
  
Unfortunately, she was stuck at her house, staring out the window, waiting for the tutor she was getting for history class to get there. All Buffy knew was that the tutor was a girl, and she was really smart. Her parents had given no names to her, but she really didn't mind, she would find out later who this gal was.  
  
She sighs, humming an old song she couldn't remember the words to, and gets up, only to flop back down on the bed seconds later. Face in the pillow, Buffy closer her eyes, becoming extremely bored. Her tutor was supposed to be here in, Buffy looked over at her clock, ten minutes, what was she going to do until then? Read a book? Hah! Good one, like that would ever happen.  
  
Ten minutes there was a timid knock on Buffy's bedroom door. She groans, and gets up to answer it.  
  
"Hey..." says a shy looking girl, holding a bunch of books, "I'm Willow Rosenberg, Mr. O'Shea told me I was going to be your tutor, Buffy."  
  
Willow smiles meekly at her, and Buffy moves so that she can get in the room, and then closes the door again.  
  
Studying Willow for a second Buffy realizes that she's not that bad. He red hair was straight, and fell just past her shoulders, she had a sweet look that just shouted innocence, the only problem was her clothes. She dressed like those geeky kids you saw on daytime TV shows.  
  
A stripped sweater, corduroy skirt, pink tights, and shoes with buckles on the sides. Buffy made a mental note to help her with her fashion sense later.  
  
"Ok Willow, what are we going to do?"  
  
Willow blinks, "Um... I figured we could start out with the Revolutionary War. Then, in a couple of days, the Civil War, is that ok?" she asks, opening the large textbook.  
  
"Sure, sounds good." Buffy replies sitting down on her bed, not looking one bit interested in what was going to happen.  
  
Willow sat down next to her, and placed the book on Buffy's lap. On the page there was a picture of one of those really old muskets, a bag of powder, and some musket balls. There was also a whole bunch of words that Buffy hoped she didn't have to read.  
  
"Ok, the first battles of the Revolutionary War were those at Lexington and Concord Massachusetts. On April 19th 1975." Willow began, pointing at the picture of the British soldiers and the American militia standing in a small field on the next page.  
  
"Though the British had begun their trip up to these towns the night before. The townspeople were warned by a man named Paul Revere, who road his horse all the way from Boston to warn them of the British soldiers who were starting for Lexington."  
  
Buffy could've fallen asleep, except for the fact that Willow kept looking up at her to make sure she was listening.  
  
After an hour had finally passed, Willow was packed up and ready to leave.  
  
"Ok Buffy, I'll see you on Wednesday, and we can continue our session." She says, but Buffy stops her before she can leave.  
  
"Hey Will?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You want to head down to the Bronze with me, or are you going to go home?" she asks, standing up.  
  
"Go to the Bronze?" Willow asks, looking like no one had ever asked her anything like that before.  
  
"Yeah, you know, the local club, we could hang and stuff."  
  
"O-ok, that sounds fun."  
  
"Great, but first, we're going to have to change your clothes," Buffy tells her, walking over to her closet.  
  
"What's wrong with my clothes?" She asks, dropping her stuff on Buffy's bed, "Why can't I just wear what I'm wearing now?"  
  
"Because I said so, so here, try these on." Buffy says, handing her a medium length black skirt, and a small red top that said, "Hands Off" in bold, black print.  
  
"Um... ok then," Willow takes her clothes, asking Buffy where the bathroom was first, then runs off to change.  
  
Buffy was also taking this opportunity to change. She chose a white tank top, some black leather pants, and some shoes with heels to make her look taller.  
  
When Willow came back in the room, all Buffy could say was, "wow" Willow looked really good as soon as she lost the geek look. If she dressed like that everyday, she could defiantly be more popular than she was now.  
  
Buffy handed her some shoes, and waited for her to put them on.  
  
"So, do you want to do you hair, or just leave it down?" She asks, pulling her own hair up into a ponytail.  
  
"I'll just leave it down," Willow says, regarding herself in the mirror. Even she had to admit she looked good.  
  
"Then it's off to the bronze we go!" Buffy says, grabbing Willow's hand and pulling her out the door.  
  
Buffy paid the bouncer so that she and Willow could get in, then lead Willow over to a table.  
  
"You want anything to drink?" She asks, and Willow shakes her head, "Well, suit yourself, I'll be right back." Buffy says, getting up from the table and making her way over to the crowded bar.  
  
Willow sits and waits for Buffy to get back, feeling sort of uncomfortable in this place. She was going to tell Buffy that she wanted to leave when she did get back.  
  
"Excuse me Miss, but I don't believe we've met..." A very familiar voice says from behind her, making her turn around.  
  
"Xander? What are you doing here?"  
  
"Willow? Man I didn't recognize you, you look very..."  
  
"Scanky?"  
  
"I was going to go with nice, but hey, whatever floats your boat." Xander says, "So what are you doing here all alone?"  
  
"Oh, I'm not here alone," she says, then sees Xander's expression change, so she adds, "I'm here with Buffy."  
  
"Buffy?" He asks, "You mean that weird girl from home room, the one who doesn't talk to anyone?"  
  
"Yeah, she's really nice, you just haven't given her a chance..."  
  
"Wait a minute Will, you were hanging with her?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm her tutor, she is having trouble in history I guess, so Mr. O'Shea told me to help her, 'cause I'm smart and stuff." She says, sounding a little proud of herself.  
  
"That's great Will, but did you also know she's crazy?" Xander asks, "I mean, the word around school is that she never talks to anyone but those Goth kids, because she's like a killer, and they accepted her as one of them!"  
  
"Right Xand, keep telling yourself that. Buffy's a nice girl, and she's not a killer, she just doesn't like to talk a lot. I mean, look at me, not really miss talkative, but people don't say I'm a murderer."  
  
"Well duh Will, you're to smart for people to think that."  
  
Willow raised her eyebrows, "What, I just don't seen you as the killer type."  
  
"What ever... so, you want to meet her?" She asks.  
  
"Um... sure, as long as you're right about her not being evil or something..."  
  
Willow just shakes her head as Xander sits down and Buffy arrives back at the table.  
  
"Hey Willow, this one of your friends?" she asks, sitting down, looking a bit nervous at Xander's arrival to the table.  
  
"Yeah, Buffy meet Xander, Xander, this is Buffy." Willow says, smiling.  
  
"Nice to meet you Buff." Xander says.  
  
"Like whys." Buffy replies, half smiling at him.  
  
An awkward silence settles over the group, until Xander finally speaks.  
  
"So Buffy, have you lived in Sunnydale your whole life?"  
  
"Actually no, I moved here about a year ago, I used to live in LA."  
  
"Why'd you come here of all places, I mean, San Francisco, pretty nice there."  
  
"It was my mom's idea, she wanted to go to a nice quiet place."  
  
"Oh, so is that the only reason, a change in scenery?"  
  
"Well, no actually," Buffy says, giving him a nervous smile.  
  
"Well...?" Xander pries, waiting for a full answer.  
  
"I kinda, sorta, burnt down the high school gym... It was an accident, really..."  
  
Xander and Willow's eyes widen, and they look at each other, not really believing what they had just heard.  
  
"Yeah, so... you guys do anything exciting your freshman year?" Buffy asks, changing the subject.  
  
"Nope, nothing that compares to burning down a gym..."  
  
Willow glares at Xander, mouthing a 'stop that' at him, then smiling at Buffy, "It was really quiet here freshman year, trying to fit in and stuff is really all that happened."  
  
"Sounds fun..." Buffy says staring right past Willow.  
  
Willow can tell she's not paying attention, and turns to see what, or whom Buffy was staring at.  
  
Angel O'Connor.  
  
The other quiet kid in the school, he looked as if he was searching the crowd for someone, but Willow couldn't see who it was.  
  
"Hello, Jupiter to Buffy, come in Buffy." Xander says, noticing whom she was staring at.  
  
"Huh, oh, sorry, just zoned for a second there."  
  
"Right, so, the tall dark and handsome look is what girls are into this year, I knew it, Willow, why didn't you tell me?" Xander jokes.  
  
"Because I like you the way you are." She tells him.  
  
"I don't know, I think I could use a style change, what do you think Buff?" he asks, trying not to leave Buffy out of the conversation. But when he looks to her, she staring at Angel again, a dreamy look on her face.  
  
"Ok, you know what, go talk to him, or I'll be forced to do it for you." He tells her, and Willow giggles.  
  
Buffy snaps out of it for the second time that night, "No! Don't do that, he'll think I'm a total geek!"  
  
"Women..." Xander says rolling his eyes, "Well, anyway, I got to get going, it's nine o'clock, my mom's going to kill me if I don't get home soon, see ya!" he says, leaving the table, and walking away.  
  
"We should probably get going too," Willow says, "Can we stop by your house and get my stuff, and so I can give you your clothes back."  
  
"Oh, you can keep them, they look good on you."  
  
Willow blushes and Buffy smiles at her as the two girls get up from the table and make their way to the exit.  
  
A/N Ok, not much B/A action in there, but I'll get it, ok? Just bare with me here, ok? And cheers to my second chapter!  
  
Oh, and for the record, I can't upload at my house, so it's going to be tough for me to get the new chapters up. Even if it's completed, doesn't mean it will be up, so I'm sorry for that. And all this talk is just to see if I can get this up to 2,000 words, I think I made it too.  
  
~Bloody SunSet 


	3. Just an Ordinary Day

A/N Hullo everyone, what's up? I'm hoping to finish this by sometime this week. That would be cool. Anyway, I do have some other stories you guys could, you know, review if you wanted too, make my day all nice and stuff, so what do you say? Pllleeeaaassseee?  
  
Though this story is B/A, it does not seem to start out that way. I really don't know where this chapter's going to go so, um... go read! *shoos*  
  
Also, thank you to b/a always, sandy-eco, Mrs. Rhett Butler, Tariq and Caitlin for reviewing the last chapter!  
  
Disclaimer: Like I said, Joss got to it first... *grumbles*  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
Last Chapter Summary: We met Buffy's tutor! Who just happened to be the shy red haired Willow, (told you I'd get her in here...) and she met Xander. They seem to get along, but Xander might be having some issues getting used to Buffy, or not, but you'll find out sooner or later...  
  
But It Feels So Right  
  
'Alarm clock should be going off any minute now... Yep just buzzing like alarm clocks do... Oh, wait, the clock doesn't have an alarm, well that could be why it isn't going off...'  
  
Buffy opens her eyes and rolls over in her bed. She blinks and waits for the bright red numbers to clear up. When they do, she looks confused, 4:30? What? How is it possible she woke up that early, especially because she didn't have to be up for at least another forty minutes!  
  
Oh well, seeing s she was up now, all she had to do was learn how to use her legs again. That wasn't going to be so simple. She groans, and finally moves, standing up and stretching.  
  
"Well at least I'll be able to take a long shower..." Buffy says to herself, always a bonus of getting up earlier than your parents, you get first shower.  
  
She grabs a shirt, her pants and some other items of clothing, and heads down the hallway into the bathroom.  
  
She locks the door behind her, and turns the shower on, hoping her parents wouldn't wake up. Then striping off her nightclothes, she hops into the shower, sighing when she feels the hot water cascade down over her.  
  
There was something about a hot shower, (or a cold one...) which woke you up in the morning. But it wasn't the annoying awake you get from drinking coffee or soda. It felt good, and the best part, you were awake, and you were clean.  
  
Buffy finishes in the shower, and steps out, gabbing a towel form the closet. Using it to dry off, she wraps it around herself, and step in front of the mirror.  
  
She picks the brush up off of the counter, and pulls it through her wet hair, detangling the now wet rats nest she had woken up with.  
  
Then she gets an idea, "I could leave my hair like that, or..." Buffy pulls the brush straight back over her part, then flips her hair forward. Brushing her hair with the entire world upside down was kind of making her dizzy, but it always made for the best high ponytails.  
  
She stands up straight again, and puts an elastic in her hair to hold it up, the finishes drying off.  
  
Looking down at the clothes she had picked out for the day, she frowns, for some odd reason, she wanted to look nice today, and the old clothes she had taken from her room, were anything but nice.  
  
She grabs her robe, and pulls it on, and then unlocking the bathroom door, she heads back down the hallway to her room.  
  
She absentmindedly threw her clothes on the bed, and started to rummage threw her drawers to find something else. But there was nothing in there she liked, nothing at all, how could this be, she had always thought that she had pretty cool clothes, but now they all looked boring.  
  
She turns around and walking over to her closet, she opens it, and peers in. Hm... there were lots of different things in here; maybe she could make an outfit out of them.  
  
After about twenty minutes of searching through her closet, Buffy finally decided on wearing a small, but fitting black alter top, that she knew was breaking dress code, and a pair of jeans that seemed like the only thing that went with the top.  
  
She looks at her clock, and starts to panic; school was going to start in ten minutes! What was she going to do? The school was only five minutes from her house, but that was in a car, going thirty miles an hour. She'd have to run, oh what fun this was going to be.  
  
Grabbing her backpack, she runs down the hallway, down the stairs not even bothering to be quiet, and out the front door. She sprints down the sidewalk, hoping that she got to school before she got to tired.  
  
Buffy quickly looked both ways before bolting across the street, and was extremely surprised to hear the loud honk of a car horn. The sudden noise made her stop suddenly, and the sound of screeching brakes fills the air. She closes her eyes, and waits to be hit, only the impact never comes, Buffy opens one eye, then slowly the other one looking around.  
  
Two guys in the front seat of the car stare wide eyed at the girl who is merely inches away from the front of their car. The as it someone slapped him across the face, one guys shakes his head, and opens the door.  
  
"What the hell were you thinking!?" he shouts at Buffy, getting in her face.  
  
She could smell alcohol on his breath, and it sickened her, how the hell could someone drink this early in the morning, "I'm sorry, I didn't see the car, other wise I wouldn't ha-"  
  
"Right, you wouldn't have what? Jumped out in front of my car and almost gotten me sent to jail, right!?" he yelled at her.  
  
Buffy just blinks, he had almost hit her, not the other way around, and she could've sworn there had been no cars there when she had tried to cross the road. Taking a deep breath, she opens her mouth to reply, then shuts it again, seeing that the other guy had gotten out of the car as well, and was standing next to his 'friend' now.  
  
For the second time that day, Buffy panicked, of course now the reason was just a bit different.  
  
"Hey..." the second guy said, putting a hand on the shoulder of the man who was yelling at Buffy, "That's no way to talk to a lady Matt." He tells him, then looks at Buffy.  
  
"Sorry about this, I shouldn't have let him drive, thought he was sober, guess I was wrong, anyway, it wont happen again, I swear."  
  
"Thanks..." she says, smiling nervously at him. She then turned to leave, hoping that she wasn't going to be to late to school, only to be stopped by a large hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Hey, if there's anything I can do for you, I know that had to have been pretty traumatizing for you."  
  
She turned back to him, "No, that's ok, I'll be fine, I just have to get to school, like now, so see ya." She says, once again turning around, but this time she hadn't given him time to hold her back again. She started running right after telling him goodbye.  
  
Buffy arrived to her homeroom class about thirty seconds before the bell, thanking what ever god, entity, or what ever had been helping her get there.  
  
She took her seat in the back of the room, and let her head fall down onto the surface of the desk. Closing her eyes, she took deep breaths, trying to stop panting.  
  
"Hey Buffy, what's up?" A familiar voice calls, seemingly close.  
  
Buffy raises her head to see Willow looking down at her, "Oh, hey Will, what do you need?" she asks, lazily.  
  
"Nothing, just wanted to confirm that we were still on for tonight, you the study thing..."  
  
"Yep, we are, maybe we can even head over to the Bronze again, it was fun last time," She suggests as Willow takes the seat next to her, politely asking the boy who was sitting there to move first.  
  
"Yeah, ok, that sounds good." She says, "Hey do you mind if Xander tags along?"  
  
"Who, that cute guy with the weird shirt?"  
  
"Hey I happen to like that shirt..."  
  
"Oh, Sorry, didn't see you," Buffy says, blushing a bit, embarrassed that Xander had heard her comment on his shirt.  
  
He takes the seat in front of her, and Buffy realizes that's where he had been sitting for the entire year. He would always turn around and look at her funny, and when she looked up, he would turn away again. Buffy never thought much of him at all, she had never even begun to think that they might actually talk one day.  
  
"So Xander, you doing anything today, say fiveish?" She asks, changing the subject.  
  
"No, why, you guys Bronzing?" he asks, seeming to perk up a bit.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Sounds cool, I'm in."  
  
Willow smiles at him, then notices Buffy has that blank stare on her face that she had had on the night they went to the Bronze. Unfortunately, Xander noticed too. He sighed and stood up, "Excuse me ladies, I have something I must do for Buffy here..." he says, walking in Angel's direction.  
  
Buffy blinks, and stares at Xander as he walks over to Angel, watching him incredulously, he would not embarrass her like that, would he? She had only known him for not even a couple of days, what could she have done to him?  
  
Angel looks up as Xander walks over, "Hey Xand, what's up?" he asks, putting down his pencil.  
  
Xander looks at the notebook Angel had in front of him, there were a lot of works, and scribbles, and stuff that as crossed out. "Nothing, just wanted to inform you that you have a fan club."  
  
Angel looks at him confused, "What?"  
  
Xander turns and points at Buffy. "Right there, the blonde girl."  
  
Angel turned to look at whom Xander was pointing at. Buffy meets his gaze, staring wide eyed at the two of them, looking like she was going to either hide, or strangle Xander, he could tell which.  
  
"Really?" He asks, turning his attention back to Xander.  
  
"Yeah, she was watching you at the Bronze last night too, and, by the way, who were you looking for last night?"  
  
"Darla, she told me to meet her there, but she was a little busy when I got there." He says darkly.  
  
"Oh, was it Riley?"  
  
"What, no, it was Lindsey, why would it be Riley?"  
  
"I don't know, he just seems to nice, and all the girls like him, it's not fair..."  
  
Angel raises an eyebrow and laughs at Xander, "You're one strange guy Xand."  
  
"Yeah well, you don't have girl problems, I mean you do, but I mean, hello, Buffy over there, she's totally into you, forget Darla, she's been cheating on you for a while, and you knew it too."  
  
Angel growls at him, shut up Xander, I doubt Buffy is any different than Darla, she probably would do the same thing." He says angrily.  
  
Xander looks at him, "Hey, that wasn't cool, you don't know her, she's actually really cool, so don't bad mouth her ok."  
  
He sighs, "Sorry Xand, I'm just upset, the whole Darla thing is just frustrating, I'm just a little wrong in the head right now, ok?"  
  
"Yeah, well it's not me you should be apologizing to, it's Buffy, you're just luck she didn't hear what you just said."  
  
Angel sighs again, and picks up his pencil, "And, as a matter of fact, she's probably a lot different than Darla, she was even worried about me talking to you for her, sounds like she likes you man, don't screw this one up."  
  
"Look Xander, I'm not looking for another girlfriend, ok? So just tell Buffy I'm not interested..." he says, but Xander had already left and was back sitting with the girls again.  
  
Angel looks down at his paper, slightly surprised at what he had written there. It was Buffy's name, and he had circled it in the center of the page.  
  
Buffy looks at Xander as he comes back over, "What did you tell him?" she asks accusingly.  
  
"Nothing, just that you were the head of his personally fan club." Xander replies, smirking at her.  
  
Buffy's mouth falls open, "What!? You told him WHAT!?" she practically yells, earning a couple of unnoticed stares from her piers as well as one from Angel, who was wondering what Xander had told the girl, "You have got to be lying, please say you're lying..." Buffy pleads with him.  
  
"Nope, he didn't seem to interested though, not with the whole Darla thing anyway... oops... I should not have just said that..."  
  
Buffy's mood changed almost immediately, "Wait, he's not interested?" she asks softly, sounding a little hurt, "And what's this about that whore Darla? What's she got to do with anything?"  
  
"Well, I probably shouldn't tell you, but they were dating." Xander emphasized on the word, 'were', "Darla kinda cheated on Angel, so he broke it off, end of story."  
  
"Oh..." Pretty lame, but it was all Buffy could think of to say.  
  
"Yeah, oh pretty much sums it up, I never thought Angel would fall for her of all people, know what she was capable off, you know?"  
  
"Yeah." Buffy looks over at Willow, "So Willow, you have anything to say at all?"  
  
Willow looks up from the book she had taken out, "Um... sorry, I wasn't listening." She blushes, "It's just that I've heard all this before, the Angel Darla thing, I just really don't want to hear it again..."  
  
Buffy smiles at Willow, "Ok, so let's change the subject then..." she suggests, "What do you want to hear about?"  
  
"I don't know, something other than who's dating who, that's all Harmony ever talks about."  
  
"Wait, Harmony?"  
  
"Yeah, she's my chem. lab partner, I can't stand her, and I do all the work." Willow complains, "Hey Buffy, are you in my science class?"  
  
"Yeah, why?"  
  
"You want to trade partners?" She asks, jokingly.  
  
"Yeah, anyone's better than working with Cordelia..."  
  
"Hm... wait, I have an idea, how 'bout we ask Ms. Calendar if she'll let us be partners and Cordelia and Harmony can be partners."  
  
"Sounds like a plan, but we have science after lunch, so we'll have to wait until then," Buffy reminds her as the first bell rings, "Well, see you guys in Math, I have History first..." she groans and Willow laughs, "It's not all that bad Buffy, just try to listen, ok?"  
  
"I'll try, but it's not going to be easy..."  
  
A/N How's that? Good? Bad? I know I ask this every time, but please review, and how was the timing, it only took a little while to get this out, and in fact I wrote it in one day. Hey did you guys know that when you upload these things you loose 200 words? Kind of annoying isn't it...  
  
A/N (2) And also, I don't have a beta reader, so, there might be some stupid mistakes in there somewhere that my spell check didn't get to, sorry about that.  
  
~Bloody SunSet 


	4. Like Talking Ever Does Any Good

A/N I am beginning to doubt my computers skills with grammar, it though that people should be peopling and Im not sure if thats a word... Thank you to Caitlin, my one and only reviewer from the last Chapter! And I will say this, if thats how many reviews Im going to get, I wont think enough people like the story and I wont finish it...  
  
Disclaimer: How many times are you people going to make me say this? Joss own it, I don't, even though I would really like to, I don't, so back off!!!  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
Last Chapter Summary: Xander has revealed to Angel that she likes him, but Angel doesn't seem too interested this time, what's going on here? Or more importantly, what's going on in my head? Heh, even I don't know the answer to that question...  
  
But It Feels So Right  
  
'Ok, pay attention you can do this, only twelve minutes left, wait, eleven and fifty two seconds...' Buffy thinks watching the clock her History teacher had in his room, 'Ooo looked there a butterfly out side... no! Bad Buffy, you have to keep your mind on history... man this sucks...'  
  
"Miss Summers?"  
  
"Yes, Mr. O'Shea?"  
  
"Would you care to tell us who was the leader of the rebel force at the battle of Lexington?" He asks, smiling evilly at her, thinking she didn't know the answer.  
  
"That would be Captain Jonas Parker, I do believe sir," Buffy says, smiling at him, she knew what he was thinking.  
  
"Oh, that is correct, good job Miss Summers." He says, turning back to the board to write some kind of history thing on it.  
  
Buffy stuck her tongue out at his back, smiling at her childish actions. But it did feel good to actually know something, 'Thank you Willow' she thinks, looking back at the clock.  
  
Only two minutes left. Hey, this class wasn't so bad, just really annoying, but on the plus side she had math next, Willow was in her math class. Buffy really felt she and Willow had connected, even though they had known each other for the short period of time. It had only been, what, a day or two since Willow had come over her house to help her with her history, and Buffy was already pretty good at it.  
  
And then there was Xander. He was funny, and just a bit on the annoying side, but he did always bring up a bright side when he was around. It was comforting to know that he was always going to be a lighthearted funny guy, and hoped he wouldn't change, just because she thought she was figuring him out.  
  
These guys were better than her so called other friends she used to hang around with. Ok, so you can't really call them friends, but they did listen, sometimes, or at least when it was convenient for them to. Which was like, never, but hey at least she had had someone to talk to, even if they didn't care, it was still kind of nice.  
  
Buffy knew that Willow and Xander weren't like that, they actually seemed to care, even if she hadn't told them any kind of secrets yet, they still at least listened.  
  
The bell rang, and Buffy almost didn't hear it, she was too wrapped up in her thoughts about her newly found friends to notice, but luckily she did, and made it out of the classroom with out Mr. O'Shea asking her any questions.  
  
She walked through the door, only to bump straight into someone, while looking down to make sure she had everything. She hadn't fallen, though, and she felt to strong arms around her waist, steadying her.  
  
"Sorry..." she says, looking up at the person who she had pretty much rammed just then.  
  
"Hey, it's ok, don't worry about it," he says, looking down at her.  
  
She smiles sweetly, the guy she had bumped into happened to be none other than Mr. Riley Finn, the lady's man of the high school. He was one of the normal guys around the school that most of the girls liked, a lot. Buffy on the other hand, was just looking for a way around him.  
  
Right..." Buffy says, and inches by him into the hallway, running into people (literally in this case) was not fun, especially people who bug you. Riley, well, he was just one of those people who seemed a little too nice, Buffy though it would be best to avoid him. She sighs and walks into her math class room, looking around for Willow, who was conveniently sitting at the same table Buffy normally sat at, she must've not noticed it until now.  
  
"Hey Will," Buffy says, sitting down next to her, "How was English?" "Boring, did anyone notice how Mr. Giles always gets so into what ever he's reading to us, that he doesn't notice if we pay attention or not. I mean, of course I do, but everyone else just sleeps until the bell rings." She says, taking out her math book, "It's really annoying..."  
  
"All depending on who you're asking, I happen to like it when Giles spaces out, then I don't have to listen."  
  
"Buffy..."  
  
"What, I'm just being the normal student here," she says, then adds, "Not that you're not normal or anything..."  
  
Willow rolls her eyes, and looks up at the front board, wondering where the teacher was.  
  
"Hey Buffy did you hear anything about Mr. Lydon being late today?"  
  
"No why?"  
  
"Well, he's not here right now..."  
  
"Oh, maybe he's not coming in, and e have a study period" Buffy says, smiling, "That would be cool, and we wouldn't have to take that test."  
  
"Test!? We had a test! Why didn't you tell me?" Willow asks, looking at Buffy exasperatedly.  
  
"I'm joking Willow, there is no test, calm down, it's not like you would have any problems passing or anything, you're like, the math genius, and the science genius and the everything else genius..."  
  
"I am not, school just happens to be my strong point."  
  
"Yeah, well it's my unstrong point... or whatever, I could really do with out it." Buffy says sighing.  
  
"Aw... c'mon, it's not all bad, I mean, there's Angel."  
  
Buffy looks over at her, "Do not bring him up, it's bad enough he doesn't like me, you don't have to make it worst by mentioning him..."  
  
Willow smiles, "How do you know he's not interested, he was looking at you during homeroom..."  
  
"I have a feeling it was because my hair was screwed up Will, Angel told Xander he wasn't interested, so I might as well give up." She says, shrugging, "And who said I liked him anyway?"  
  
"No one, you kind of brought this whole thing upon yourself, with the staring, and the blushing and the embarrassment..."  
  
Buffy blushes, "Ok, so maybe I make myself obvious, do you think he knows? Wait, never mind, of course he knows, Xander told him. God Will, what am I going to do?"  
  
"Um... I really don't know, I've never been in one of these situation, but I could offer you some advice..."  
  
"And that would be...?"  
  
"Talk to him."  
  
"One problem Will, I don't know how to do that, hell, I've only known he existed for what, three days, I don't even know if I like him!" She says, the lets her head drop down on to the desk, then silently wishing she hadn't, it had kind of hurt...  
  
(:::::|:::::)  
  
"So Angel, what was that about in homeroom today?" Xander asks the broody teen sitting next t him.  
  
"What about what now?" Angel asks, looking up at Xander from his notebook. "The whole Buffy thing, what's with you?"  
  
"Darla... I just can't get over it, if Buffy likes me, she'll have to wait, cause I'm not ready yet, ok?" he replies, bitterly.  
  
"Woah, sorry man, I was just saying, you aren't the least bit interested in her, at all, because she is kind of cute..."  
  
"I'm interested, just not in the market for a new girl, I just don't think I'm ready..." Angel explains, closing his notebook.  
  
"Ok, whatever you says, and anyway, what are you writing in that, every time I see you, you have that notebook, and you're always writing in it, what are you doing, writing out a new dictionary?" Xander asks, reaching for Angel's notebook.  
  
Angel grabs it before he can get to it, "Nothing, just normal things, thoughts and stuff..." Xander eyes him wearily, and Angel could tell he was skeptical, not a lot of guys kept journals, but it was dismissed.  
  
"You now if I ever get my hands on that, I'm going to read it..."  
  
"Yeah, which is why you'll never get to touch it..." Angel says, putting it in his backpack.  
  
"We'll see about that..."He says, in a jokingly threatening manner.  
  
Angel rolls his eyes, and looks up at Mr. O'Shea, who was waiting for everyone to quiet down before he could start his class. Angel sighs, then pulls out his notebook again, hoping Xander would think it was his History notebook, and leave him alone about it.  
  
He turns to the page he had been writing on during homeroom. The same name was still written there, it was still circled, and he was still wondering what it meant. Who exactly was Buffy Summers anyway? He really couldn't say, he knew who she was, but he didn't know who she was. It was one of those situations where you have no idea what to do. He could take Xander's earlier advise, and get over Darla and hook up with Buffy, or he could mope around for a month or too. Neither idea was too pleasing at the moment.  
  
He sighs, unconsciously running his pencil in little circles around Buffy's name on the page.  
  
Finally he looks down at what he was doing, and realizes there's like an inch thick circle around the girl's name, making it stick out more than it had before, and the fact that Xander is looking over at him, makes Angel turn the page and start to write down or draw anything he could think of to get his mind off of Buffy.  
  
(:::::|:::::)  
  
Buffy sighs and looks up at the clock, four fifteen, where was Willow? Their study thing started like five minutes ago, and she was late. Hey, not that Buffy was complaining or anything, but she wanted to talk to Willow about girl stuff. Maybe boys, or make up, or other things that she had never been able to talk to anyone about before.  
  
Ok, so there had been people, but she didn't feel like they really cared, and Willow might have some little hints or tips about what Angel liked in a girl...  
  
'Stop that Buffy! He doesn't like you, move it along, you have no chance with him at all' she reminds herself, sighing, when the door to her room opens.  
  
"Hey Buffy, sorry I'm late, I had a little trouble getting out of my house..."  
  
Buffy raised an eyebrow, "What kind of trouble?"  
  
"My mom thought I was going over to a guy's house, or something..." Willow explains, taking out her textbook.  
  
Buffy looks at her, "Hey Will, can we talk, you know instead of the study thing?"  
  
Willow smiles, "Sure, what about?" she asks, already knowing the subject of their entire discussion.  
  
"Boys..." Buffy says, thinking, 'more specifically Angel, but we're not going to got there just yet.'  
  
"What about them?"  
  
"Well, what's with you and Xander? You guys seem to know each other pretty well, any sparkage?"  
  
"No, not really, I mean I like Xander, but he's my friend, I don't want to go out with him..."  
  
"Oh, so you got your eye on anyone Will?"  
  
"No, what's with you and Angel, I saw you two talking in science..."  
  
"Speaking of science, how are we going to do our project? Seeing as we kind of have to start over and everything. And I am so glad Ms. Calendar let us be partners." Buffy says, changing the subject.  
  
"Nice try, so spill, what's with you and Angel."  
  
Buffy looks down, "He just wanted to borrow a pen, it was nothing special..." she says, a little down trot.  
  
"Did you let him?"  
  
"Yeah, why?"  
  
"Did he give it back?"  
  
"As a matter of fact, no, he didn't, I'll have to see if he has it tomorrow."  
  
"Oh, and speaking of stuff we have to do, Xander said he'll meet us at the Bronze in like an hour or so, ok?"  
  
"Ok, sounds good, so where were we, oh yeah... boys..." Buffy says, "Oh, I ran into Riley today, quite literally actually..."  
  
"Did you fall over, you know play the whole weaker girl thing that guys like?"  
  
"No, he kind of caught me, but it was nothing special, he's kind of weird actually, not someone I can see myself hanging with..."  
  
"Aw... c'mon, really, 'cause he might like you."  
  
"How do you figure...?"  
  
"Well, he was looking at you today in Art, and by the way, you failed to talk to Angel like you said you were going to."  
  
"Oops..." Buffy says, receiving a not amused look from Willow, "What I don't want to talk to him, ok?"  
  
"Don't want to or are afraid too?" Willow asks, and Buffy frowns.  
  
"The second one, I mean I already know he doesn't like me, what's the point?"  
  
"I don't know, change his mind maybe?"  
  
"Like that will happen, anyway, what are we going to wear tonight?"  
  
"I don't know, all I have is that outfit you gave me, and I left it at home..."  
  
"Well, c'mon, let's raid the uncharted territory that is my closet." Buffy says, opening it wide, and the two girls sorted through the stuff picking out what they were going to wear.  
  
A/N Hullo again... um... Review! Please! And yeah that's pretty much it. Thank you to everyone who read, and more importantly, those who review!  
  
Bloody SunSet 


	5. A Night Out

A/N Ok, Last chapter I got one review, but I also got review for chapter 3 after chapter four was put up. (hmm...?) yes, I will be spazing write now, and getting a little bit weird, but this is not be of any worry. The story you are reading will still continue, though Im not promising anything... coughcoughREVIEWcoughcough  
  
The two reviewers (confused too?) skye-lark913, and Arobow, are thanked repetitively in my mind, and here, see?  
  
Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you  
  
Disclaimer: Joss owns it, go ask him....  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
Last Chapter Summary: Buffy and Willow talk, Xander and Angel talk. Angel seems a little obsessed. Joking, I think... anyway, now they're heading for the Bronze, and just because you people asked for it, I'm going to put some B/A in this chapter. Go me!  
  
But It Feels So Right  
  
The sparkling lights, and loud music blasted Buffy and Willow as they entered the Bronze. The crowd there that night was large, and it was hard to just find there way over to the usual table, where they found Xander waiting for them. But he wasn't alone.  
  
'Must be one of his friends," Buffy thought, smiling, and pulling Willow through the crowd.  
  
Xander looked up smiling at the two of them, "Well hello ladies, nice of you to join us this evening."  
  
"Hey Xander, who's your friend?" Buffy asked, as she and Willow took seats at the table.  
  
"Oh I believe you already know him."  
  
Buffy gave Xander a confused look, and then the other person at the table turned around. Her eyes widened, she would definitely kill Xander for this later.  
  
Angel half-smiled at her from across the table, and Buffy blushed, causing him to smile fully. She looked down at her lap, where her hands were fidgeting, and took a deep breath.  
  
Angel's expression changed when Buffy looked away, maybe she didn't like him like he liked her, perfect. Xander was dead when the night was over.  
  
Willow looked at Xander, and motioned to him that they needed to talk. Elsewhere. He got the message, and both of them excused themselves.  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
"Xander, what's going on, I thought you said that they both liked each other!" Willow nearly shouted at him, once they had gotten away from the table.  
  
"They do, but apparently, both of them are too stubborn to notice it!" He said back, "What are we going to do?"  
  
"I don't know, this was your brilliant plan, remember Xand?"  
  
"I just want them to get hooked up, I mean they like each other, and Angel's been moping around since the Darla thing, and I know he likes Buffy, I read his notebook thing earlier." Xander explained, "Anyway, we just need to try harder or something."  
  
Willow looked passed him for a moment, "Um... Xander, where ARE Buffy and Angel?" she asked, looking back at him.  
  
Xander turned around, and to his surprise, Buffy and Angel were no longer sitting at the table. He didn't know where they could've gotten off too. Maybe they had left, or maybe gone to the bathroom. He hoped they hadn't left, that would make this so much harder.  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
((At The Same Time Willow And Xander Are Talking))  
  
Buffy looked up at Angel as the Willow and Xander got up. They had used the excuse that they were going to get something to drink. But Buffy didn't really believe it, she knew Willow was trying to get her and Angel together, but she wasn't quite expecting her all alone with him.  
  
Angel realized that Buffy was looking at him, and smiled again, hoping that she didn't hate him. When she smiled back, he felt something, but he wasn't sure what it was, and he wanted to feel it again.  
  
He stood up, and walked over to her. "You want to dance?" he asked, putting out his hand for her to take.  
  
She looked confused for a moment, then took his hand, "Sure, ok." She said, and almost rolled her eyes at herself. 'Way to sound like a moron Buff..."  
  
He pulled her to her feet, and they walked onto the dance floor, just as a slow song came on.  
  
At first, neither of them, quite knew what to do, until Angel loosely wrapped his arms around her waist. Buffy, almost instinctively, placed her arms on his shoulders, very loosely.  
  
She really had no idea what she was doing. Looking up at Angel, she had a strange urge to lay her head on his shoulder, and close her eyes, but she didn't, a small twinge of fear held her back from doing that.  
  
The same thing was keeping Angel from pulling her closer to him, holding her against his chest. He was afraid she'd reject him, but was unaware that she was feeling the same way.  
  
Buffy stared up at him, almost looking right through him, and received the same eye contact back. His eyes reflected her own, the fear and pain, but she didn't know why she saw that. Blinking, she tentively leans forward to rest her head on his shoulder. Angel was almost surprised at her actions, but found himself, unconsciously pulling her closer to him.  
  
Buffy sighed, and closed her eyes, they hadn't spoken the entire time they were out there, and it was one of those moments where it was supposed to be quite, but not awkward, and that was just what it was. Awkward, at least for a moment there it had been, but now it was just comfortable silence that settled between them.  
  
Angel smiled to himself when she sighed. He realized her hair was in his face, and moved his head a little bit, hoping Buffy wouldn't notice. He scent was heavenly, and new. Vanilla as opposed to that mixture of perfumes Darla used to wear.  
  
The song stopped, and Buffy stepped away from Angel, he smiled at her, and she smiled back.  
  
"C'mon Willow and Xander are back." She said, and motioned to the table, where the two were now sitting. She wondered why she had said that, she didn't want to go sit down, she wanted to dance. Man, she had to blow every chance she got with his guy. Maybe it was a sign, maybe they weren't right for each other.  
  
'That was defiantly positive thinking Buff...' she thought, making her way back to the table, 'why AM I such a moron, am I cursed or something?'  
  
Angel just shrugged and nodded. He hoped that she would want to dance some more, but apparently, that wasn't going to happen. He sighed, and followed her back to the table.  
  
"Where have you two been?" Willow asked, looking up at them as they sat down.  
  
Angel said nothing, and Buffy muttered "Dancing." Feeling a little annoyed with herself for suggesting that her and Angel stop. Though it had been nice while it lasted.  
  
Buffy had had a feeling of contentment while Angel had had his arms wrapped around her, she felt safe, it was something she hadn't felt for a while. Yep, Angel was defiantly someone she was liking at the moment; maybe Xander would get to keep his head after all.  
  
Willow looked at Xander, just a little confused, what was going on here. Buffy and Angel had gotten back to the table, looking like to disappointed children on their birthday. Did they not like each other after all? Willow would have to bug Buffy about that later. She needed details, and lots of them.  
  
Xander was pretty much feeling the same way Willow was. He couldn't figure why Angel suddenly looked more broody than usual, and Buffy seemed a little bit, how do you say, pissed? Maybe something had gone wrong while they had been dancing, man could a situation like this get anymore awkward?  
  
"You know what Will, we should get going, we didn't do any studying, and I have a history test tomorrow." Buffy said, standing up.  
  
"Ok, what ever you want to do," Willow looked up at Buffy then stood up herself.  
  
Buffy stole one more glance at Angel, then turned away, leading Willow out of the club.  
  
Willow caught up to Buffy at the door, and grabbed her arm, stopping the teen from going any further and turning her around.  
  
"What happened back there?" She asked, giving Buffy an annoyed look.  
  
"Nothing." Buffy answered plainly, turning around again, but Willow didn't let her.  
  
"Right, what's up with you, you seemed fine when we got here, did Angel say something?"  
  
"No, I just don't know what happened." Buffy truly didn't know why she was upset, she didn't understand why she had practically told Angel to go away on the dance floor. She wasn't sure how she felt, and really didn't want to be talking about it right then. "You know what Will, I give you details tomorrow, I'm tired, and I want to go home."  
  
Willow sighed, not happy with Buffy answer, but she knew that was all she was going to get out of her, and let it go. "Fine, but tomorrow, I want full details, deal."  
  
"Yeah sure..."  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
"Angel what's gotten into you? Buffy just left, weren't you guys dancing or something?" Xander asked, moving his chair closer to his friend, feeling the need to question everything that had just happened.  
  
"We WERE dancing, but now we're not, ok?" Angel snapped, then he sighed, "Sorry Xand, not feeling the best tonight."  
  
"That's bull Angel. You were fine when we got here, this defiantly has something to do with you and a certain girl we both know."  
  
Angel sighed again, "Yeah, it does, you're right..."  
  
"Well, do tell amigo, I can't help if I'm stuck in the dark over here."  
  
"Me and Buffy we dancing, the song ended, and she acted like she never wanted to go near me again. Like she was just itching to get back to the table where you guys were, I really don't think she likes me Xander."  
  
"I knew you liked her!" Xander said, then receiving an angry look from Angel, "But that's besides the point, did you ask her why, maybe she' just shy, you ever think of that, huh? Most girls I know aren't open books, you have to look deeper."  
  
"Xander, have you been watching teen dating shows again?" Angel asked, as a completely serious question. Sure he had gotten advice from Xander before, but none of it had actually seemed to make sense, this being the one exception.  
  
"Maybe, but who cares? Got you thinking, didn't I?" He asked, giving Angel a sheepish grin.  
  
"Yeah, you sure did." Angel said, think of what Buffy had said. She hadn't actually rejected him, she just didn't want to dance anymore. It could have been anything, like Xander said, maybe she was shyer than she appeared to be. He could tell Buffy was a lot different than Darla, in more than one way.  
  
'Well, I guess there's more than one key to a woman's heart. I just have to find the right one...' he thought to himself, looking at Xander.  
  
"I think I'm going to get going, see you tomorrow."  
  
"Yeah, Later Angel." Xander said, he was also going to leave, this place was boring if you had no one to hang with.  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
Buffy got home and flopped down on her bed, face in the pillow. She sat like this for twenty minutes before she decided to move. She still hadn't figured out what had really happened with her and Angel at the Bronze, and she didn't think she ever would.  
  
It was like for one second while they were dancing, before Buffy had screwed that moment up, that they had connected. Maybe that's why she had felt confident enough to lay her head on his shoulder, who knows? Tomorrow would hopefully bring answers, especially if there were more questions on the way.  
  
A/N Hm... Hm... hhhhiiiissssss sorry, that was me, still spazing here. Are all you people happy, you hurried Buffy and Angel, and it ended up with them not know what was going on. Don't you just love confusion in the middle of romance (or what ever)? Well, anyway, like I said, you don't review, I don't continue, I don't continue, this story dies... dun dun da!  
  
Bloody SunSet 


	6. Is This All We Ever Talk About?

A/N If you were going to die tomorrow, would you kill yourself a day early? This message brought to you by people who are crazy, namely my friends that you don't know, unless, you are those friends, and then you would know. You would know a little too much. And, I'd have to kill you.  
  
I got three reviews for the last chapter, and I think it was because I was threatening you people, and it worked. Hehehehe I am so smart!  
  
I shall now take a line or two to thank mnkychick1823, Tariq, and skye- lark913 (again, heh.) Thank you very much! And cheers to the sixth chapter! I have never felt so accomplished in my entire life, man, my life is pretty sad.  
  
Disclaimer: I'm not saying a word.........  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
Last Chapter Summary: An Entire chapter dedicated to the wonderful club the Bronze. We now know that Buffy and Angel like one another, but they are too stupid to notice that they both like each other. Am I evil or what?  
  
But It Feels So Right  
  
It was raining. Why did it have to be raining? The town was named SUNNYdale after all, so why did it always seem to rain, when you didn't want it to.  
  
Buffy grumbled as she walked out of her house, praying that it she wouldn't be soaked when she got to school. Wondering why she wasn't using an umbrella, she strolls down the sidewalk, watching the little rain droplets fall on her nose.  
  
She shook her head, and smiled, the rain wasn't that bad, especially when it was this light, the drops were tiny, there was no way you could get soaked in this weather, but still an umbrella would have been nice right now.  
  
She stopped and spun around in a circle, head thrown back, arms stretching out at her sides, and her eyes closed.  
  
"Summers, what are you doing?" A feminine voice asked from beside her.  
  
"Spinning." Buffy replied simply, not stopping or slowing down.  
  
"Well, you want to stop, or are you just going to stay here all day, acting like a moron?"  
  
Buffy stopped, and shook her head, trying to shake off the feeling of dizziness she got from spinning around. "Ok, I'm stopped, what else would you like, your highness?" She asked sarcastically, looking over at a group of girls who were staring at her.  
  
"Nothing, you can just go on your merry way now." The other girl rolled her eyes.  
  
Buffy scoffed, "Thank you, I will."  
  
The other girl glared at her, and Buffy stuck her tongue out at her. Very immature, yes, but funny when you think about it too much. Or when you're in giggle mode. Neither of which was happening now, but she wasn't really in the mood to be mocked.  
  
Buffy turned away from the other girls, and continued to make her way down the sidewalk, school was but a few yards away, and would you look at that, Buffy was early. A first for her when she wasn't trying to actually be on time or something like that.  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
'Science class, one of the better subjects in school, there's fire, and explosions when you do it right, or maybe that's when you do it wrong, oh well, whatever.'  
  
"Hey Willow, any ideas of what we might do for our science project?" Buffy asked as the red head took a seat next to her.  
  
"Um yeah, but it would take hundreds of billions of our government's money, and some really brave guys." She said, laying her head down on the desk.  
  
"Oh, so you came up with nothing too, huh?" It wasn't a question, and now science class seemed to be sucking just a little bit. Harmony and Cordelia had taken Willow's science project idea, and now they were stuck trying to find a new one, seeing as no one was aloud to do the same project.  
  
"Oh, I know," Buffy said suddenly, causing Willow to look up at her, "We can test people's opinions on stuff, like different points of view, and then document it and stuff!"  
  
"Ok, who are you, and what have you done with Buffy?" Willow asked, smiling, "I'm kidding, that's a great idea, who'd you steal it from?"  
  
"The discovery channel, pretty interesting stuff when you're bored to death." Willow glared at her and Buffy smiled sheepishly, "Unless you're into that kind of stuff, cause then it might be cool."  
  
"Right, so what kind of questions should we ask people?" Willow asked, pulling out a notebook to write down ideas.  
  
"How about we ask boys what they want in a girl, and what the girls want in a guy?" Buffy suggested,  
  
Willow raised an eyebrow, "Nice topic Buffy, but is there another reason behind that topic?"  
  
"What? No, I just want to get a decent science mark this term." She replied, although Willow could tell she was lying. Buffy wanted to find out what she could do to impress Angel. And she was being so obvious about it, but hey, it was sure to get them an a on the project, so Willow had once again let one of Buffy's lies slide.  
  
Speaking of letting things slide, Willow was yet to find out what had happened at the Bronze the other night. She figured now was as good a time as ever to ask about it, seeing as Buffy had promised to tell her later.  
  
"So, now that we know what we're doing for science, what happened last night?" Willow asked putting the notebook away, and turning to Buffy.  
  
"I don't know, what happened last night?" Buffy asked, knowing what Willow meant, but not really wanting to talk about it.  
  
"At the Bronze, you said you'd tell me, so spill."  
  
Buffy sighed, "Me and Angel were dancing, I screwed up, and now he hates me, ok?" She explained in the plainest and quickest way she knew how.  
  
"I'm sure he doesn't hate you, why would anyone hate you?"  
  
"Well there was this one incident with spray paint and a police car..." Buffy started but Willow interrupted her.  
  
"Other than the people you decided it would be fun to vandalize."  
  
"No one that I know of, wait, yes there is, but she's still in LA so never mind." Buffy said, sighing, and Willow gave her a strange look, "it was nothing important, just let it go Will."  
  
"What ever you say." She said as the bell rang.  
  
They both stood up, and Willow followed Buffy to their lockers, conveniently they were close by. Buffy rummaged through the junk she had in there, and smiled when she found some money, slamming her locker closed, she walked over and joined Willow at hers.  
  
Willow's locker was the opposite of Buffy's, clean, organized, and there were pictures in it. Lots of them. She instantly recognized that the pictures were of Willow and Xander, when they were little, when they were a little less little, right up to what looked like last year.  
  
Willow closed her locker and looked at Buffy, "Ok, c'mon let's go." She said, and Buffy shook herself put of the daze she was in.  
  
"Right, to the lunch room we go."  
  
"The cafeteria was on the other side of the school, so it took Willow and Buffy a few minutes to get there. In the hallway they passed some really strange looking kids that were banging books against their heads, and chanting something that sounded like Latin, and vaguely familiar. But Buffy wasn't really sure, she couldn't even understand French, and she'd been taking that for at least four years.  
  
She and Willow both rolled their eyes at the geeks, and Buffy suddenly realized where she had heard the chant before. Monty Python and the Holy Grail. That's what it was, man those guys must have been obsessed or something, well, at least they weren't wearing monk robes or anything like that.  
  
The lunchroom was noisy when the two entered, filled with hungry high school children, and in the very center of the room, Principle Snyder was assigning detentions to any kid within five feet of him.  
  
Xander signaled to Willow, and she dragged Buffy over to the table he was sitting at.  
  
"How is it you always beat us to lunch?" Buffy asked sitting down.  
  
"Wouldn't want to be late for my favorite class of the day would I?"  
  
"Xander, Lunch isn't a class, it's a break."  
  
"A break in which we get to study the art of consuming, and or throw food products." Xander said, observing a piece of cake that had landed in front of him on the table. "You know, I'm just going to make a suggestion, maybe we should, I don't know, duck?"  
  
Willow and Buffy didn't even nod before the three of them found themselves sitting under one of the tables, looking at each other, "Just another normal day at Sunnydale High." Willow said, peeking up at the now ongoing food fight.  
  
"You know, you think these guys would get tired of detention." Buffy remarks, indicating the guys who started a food fight at least every other week in the school year. They held the record for the most detentions for a single act of "unruliness" in the school and they had so far, been successfully able to keep their title for three years in a row.  
  
Though they did have some competition when Buffy had set fire to the school's flag and raised it last year. Man that had been funny scored her six weeks of detention, including Saturdays. The after math had sucked, but being able to say you burned the school's flag had its upside too. Right now Buffy couldn't think of one, because she was to busy dodging any food that came flying under the table at her or Willow.  
  
Xander seemed to be holding his own, for the moment, until a sandwich hit him in the face. Buffy and Willow burst out laughing, and he looked at them like a cat ready to pounce.  
  
"C'mon guys, let's get out of here." Willow said, motioning towards the closed cafeteria door.  
  
"Good idea Will." Xander said, and he Willow and Buffy made a mad dash to the door managing to not get covered in food.  
  
All three were making their way down the halls to their next class, not really wanting to go back into the lunchroom at that point.  
  
Xander immediately went over and sat next to Angel, who merely looked up at him, and nodded, Xander replied to that with a "Don't you ever talk? Or is it just ok, I'll nod at you, maybe acknowledge you and you'll go away?"  
  
He rolled his eyes, "Yes Xander I do talk."  
  
Buffy didn't hear the rest of their conversation, because it was soon drown out by her own with Willow, which was pretty much about what they were going to do to complete their science project and stuff.  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
"Yes, I see that you can talk Angel, you just never do, it's kind if creepy." Xander said taking a seat next to him.  
  
"Yeah, I heard you the first ten thousand times you told me that, this year." He replied, then glared at him. "You know that I know you looked through my notebook, right?"  
  
"And you know that I know that you know that you like Buffy Summers no matter how much you deny it."  
  
"Xander, do you have to bring her up every time we talk, it's always Buffy this, or Buffy that, I think you like her."  
  
"So what if I do, she's cute, am I not aloud to like her?"  
  
"Yeah, the girl you said was, and I quote, "The scariest kid I've ever seen, she's hangs out in cemeteries a lot, it's very unnormal." End quote, what's with you Xander, you like her, ask her out."  
  
"No way, she has no interest in me at all, she likes you, so you ask her out."  
  
Angel sighs, "Is this what my life is going to be like?" he asked Xander rhetorically.  
  
"Until you just admit you like her, and ask her out, yes, yes it is."  
  
Angel sighed again, and glared at him, "What ever, now tell me, what did I this morning?"  
  
"You mean in history? Nothing really, oh wait, Mr. O'Shea says that if you ever skip his class again, he's going to give you detention."  
  
"Did you tell him what I was doing?"  
  
"Yeah, but he said he didn't believe me, and that if I knew anything I should really tell him. You know you should get a note from your dad or something, it's not always your fault you're not in class."  
  
"Yeah, I know, most of the time it's my stupid cousin, he drives me insane! And he never wakes up on time, and then there's the fact that I live ten miles from the school, and have to walk every day."  
  
"I don't think teacher's ever understand things like that, so how is your cousin anyway?"  
  
"Annoying as ever, I'm just glad he's not here today, makes my life so much easier." Angel said, exasperatedly.  
  
"What he do, fake being sick again? Man, he's so good at that, wish I could pull it off." Xander said, wondering why this kid was so good at everything.  
  
"I really don't know, William's just good at everything that involves, cheating, stealing, swiping, destroying, burning." Angel would have gone on listing things that he didn't like about his cousin, when Principle Snyder entered the room.  
  
"Ok kids, listen up!" He said, getting the attention of the entire class. "I'm going to be your study hall teacher today, and I want it completely silent, or else you'll get detention, any questions?"  
  
"Where's Mrs. D.?" someone in that back asked.  
  
"She was released from her duties as a teacher yesterday for her lack of enthusiasm with her students, and because she faked her resume, any other questions."  
  
A few hands shot up into the air, but Snyder ignored them and sat down at the desk, "Good."  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
Buffy and Willow looked at each other, this was going to be the most boring study hall ever. If they couldn't talk, they couldn't do their science project, and that was the only homework they had tonight. Perfect.  
  
Buffy sighed, and received a glare from the principle, she would have glared back, but she really didn't feel like getting detention today. She looked over at Xander and Angel. Xander smiled at her, and she smiled back, but Angel didn't even acknowledge her. He just stared right back into her eyes.  
  
Her gaze turned questioning, and Angel smirked. Buffy was even more confused, what was he playing at. Hey, maybe he didn't hate her after all; maybe he still liked her, if he had in the first place. Buffy smiles at him, and heard Willow and Xander both sigh. She laughed, but silenced herself quickly, when Snyder cleared his throat.  
  
She laid her head down on her desk, but didn't take her eyes off Angel, maybe she could ask him to go to the Bronze with her tonight. Of course, she'd bring Willow and Xander with them, but at least she was going to ask him, and she got points in bravery for doing that.  
  
A/N la dee dum do da. Hullo everyone. This is the end of chapter six, I am on six, right? Anyway, I'm starting to get writers block, just a little, because it took a little extra brainpower to write this chapter. It also took longer than it normally did. I wonder why. And my arm hurts, my friend thought it funny to scratch it until it turned red, and now I have a seemingly permanent red mark on my arm. Etienne! I'm going to kill you! And guess what? Angel's on tonight! In about an hour or so, so I'm going to go watch that.  
  
Oh, and I am sorry about the lack of B/A in this B/A story, but I'm getting there, and Buffy's stepping up to the plate. And like I remind you in most of the chapters, I want reviews, or the story stops, and you never find out what Buffy does. So REVIEW! NOW! It's very simple, just click the button and type good job in the little box, or something even better just to make me feel better, ok?  
  
Bloody SunSet 


	7. Try Outs And Phone Conversations

A/N Um... hullo, this is me, typing about stuff, and just so you know, the updates might be a little slow, seeing as I'm currently failing math class...  
  
Thank you to Sky-lark13, and meg for reviewing, I would put little note to each of you, but I've got limited time to be doing this. And again my threats have worked, 'cause some people reviewed!   
  
Disclaimer: Didn't I tell you this earlier?  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
Last Chapter Summary: New project idea, Buffy acted smart, Angel and Xander had a familiar conversation, and Buffy is trying to find the courage to ask Angel out. What will happen next? What will Buffy do? Why am I still asking questions?  
  
But It Feels So Right  
  
Buffy sat in the back of an auditorium, looking up at the rather large stage. Willow had dragged her here to give her support while she auditioned for some play. Buffy was pretty sure it was Shakespeare who wrote it, but she would have to confirm that with Willow later.  
  
Willow was up on stage now, reading though her would be lines, if she got the part, with some guy Buffy had seen in the hallway the other day. When the scene finished Willow was asked to stay up there, and run lines with another guy.  
  
This other guy, not to back looking, a little short, and very strange taste in clothes, stood opposite her. Neither of them sounded like they were reading, it felt as though they were having an actual conversation. Personally Buffy thought she could see some sparkage between Willow and the other teen, and she knew she would have to bug Will about that later.  
  
The red head left the stage with a smile on her face. She looked really pleased with herself.  
  
"I think I did it Buffy! I think I might have gotten the part!" She exclaimed, excitedly.  
  
"Yeah me, so who was the last guy you were auditioning there with Will?" Buffy asked, and smirked as Willow blushed.  
  
"That was Oz, he's really good at acting, he was in the play last year, it was kind of cool to run lines with him."  
  
"Hm... so do you like him?"  
  
"What?" "Do you like him?" Buffy repeated, just a little bit slower.  
  
"Well, I kind of have to like him, if I get the part, he's going to be opposite me."  
  
"You know what I meant!"  
  
"I think I do," Willow said, then turned her head, looking back at Oz, she turned back to Buffy, "I think he smiled at me."  
  
Buffy smiled, "see, you do like him, I knew it!"  
  
"Yeah well at least I'm not denying it like some people I know." Willow said, referring to Buffy and her current situation with Angel.  
  
"I don't deny anything, I just doubt it's more than a crush or something like that, I mean, we didn't exactly click."  
  
"Yeah, but sometimes things like that just don't click, Buffy, you have to work at them, and keep them strong."  
  
"But we haven't even started, how can I keep something that doesn't exist strong?" Buffy asked, picking up her stuff, and walking out of the auditorium, Willow at her side.  
  
"I don't know, but you defiantly have something going on there, just trust me on that one."  
  
"Ok, I trust you, now can we change the subject?"  
  
"Sure, what do you want to talk about?" Willow asked.  
  
"Anything but boys...." Buffy said as the two of them walked down the street headed for Buffy's house, neither one of them talking because they couldn't think of another topic to discuss.  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
"C'mon please?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Please?"  
  
"NO."  
  
"Aw, c'mon Angel, you got to let me borrow your car!"  
  
"I said no Xander, when ever you touch my stuff, you break it, ask your uncle." Angel said, as he scrubbed the hubcaps of his car.  
  
"But my uncle's car is old, and not as nice as yours!"  
  
"My point exactly."  
  
"But you're my best friend!" Xander said, trying to use this to his advantage, but he really didn't think Angel would buy into it.  
  
"What part of 'no' don't you understand?" Angel asked, looking up at Xander from his work on the front tire.  
  
"The part where you're supposed to say 'yes'" Xander said, looking at Angel, pleading with him now.  
  
Angel sighed, "Fine Xander, you can use it, if you tell me why you need it."  
  
"I need to take it to the Bronze." Xander said as a short explanation.  
  
"Walk." Angel told him, going back to him work.  
  
Xander looked at him in disbelief, "Please Angel, just for one night."  
  
"If you tell me why."  
  
"Ok, I need it to impress some one."  
  
"And that some one would be whom exactly?"  
  
"Cordelia..." Xander said, sheepishly.  
  
"You, are trying to impress Cordelia with my car? Why would she be impressed about that? Can't you just ask her to dance or something?" Angel asked, looking up at Xander like he was a complete moron.  
  
This was Xander, the vice president of the "I hate Cordelia club" That he and willow had formed before high school. Angel could believe that Xander had a crush on Cordy, after all that time she had spent humiliating him freshman year. And the fact that Willow would probably never talk to him again if she found out.  
  
"No, I was listening to the girls talking in math class today, and they all were talking about how all the jocks have the coolest cars, and about how it was so cool to have a car. So I figure, I get a car, I get cool, and Cordy likes me, pretty simple, eh?"  
  
"Well, what are you going to do when she finds out that the car is mine, and that, if she ever agrees to it, she wont ever get to ride in it again?"  
  
"Um.... I could tell her I was getting it detailed, or that you were borrowing it."  
  
Angel glared at him, "No, you can not borrow my car Xander Harris, because the whole situation is going to get too confusing, and too annoying to deal with."  
  
Xander sighed, "C'mon Angel, don't you owe me a favor, or something."  
  
"Actually, I think it's the other way around. I know you owe me for letting you borrow something you never returned, because you broke it." Angel said, getting a little annoyed by Xander's pestering. Why couldn't he just go out and buy his own car? Then they wouldn't have these problems.  
  
"Hey Peaches, your mom says to get in here for dinner." Came a voice from the front door. Angel and Xander look over as Angel's cousin pokes his head outside.  
  
"Right be there in a minute William." Angel called back, standing up.  
  
"It's SPIKE!" he heard his cousin yell, and he rolled his eyes.  
  
"Sorry Xand," Angel said, grabbing the keys from the ignition, "Guess you'll have to find another way to impress Cordy."  
  
Xander glared at him then sighed, "See you later then." He called to Angel as he began to walk home.  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
"So, you going to call him now?" Willow asked Buffy, who was looking through her history book, trying to make sense of the Vietnam War.  
  
"Not yet Willow, he's probably eating dinner, or something, just hold on!" She replied, writing down something on a note card.  
  
"Buffy, it's seven o'clock, he's probably done with dinner, just call him, or I'll do it for you!" Willow said, picking up the phone.  
  
Buffy grabbed it out of her hands, "Fine, I'll call him, happy?"  
  
"Well, it's a start...."  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes, and dialed Angel's number. For some odd reason, she had it memorized now, and only a day before this, she wouldn't have known the first number.  
  
The phone rang five times, and Buffy was about to hang up, when a handsome voice picked up on the other end.  
  
"'Ello, O'Connor residence, William speaking."  
  
"Um... hi, is Angel there by any chance?" She asked, wondering who William was, and why she didn't know if Angel had any siblings.  
  
"Peaches? Yeah, he's right here, what's it to you?" William asked, receiving him an angry look from Angel, who was wondering who was on the phone.  
  
"I was wondering if I could talk to him."  
  
"You can, but I don't see why you would want to, he's really boring." Angel raised his eyes brows at his cousin's statement, who was he talking to?  
  
"Does it matter why I want to talk to him? Can't you just put him on the phone?" Buffy asked, getting a little bit frustrated with the man on the other end of the phone.  
  
"I could, or you could just talk to me, Peaches isn't really in the talking mood, he's kind of moppy because some girl doesn't like him or something.... Wait, are you that girl Angel's been yapping about-" Spike was cut off by Angel ripping the phone out of his hand and whacking him over the head.  
  
"Hello?" He asked, hoping the person on the other end hadn't hung up all ready.  
  
"Angel?"  
  
"Yeah, it's me, sorry about that, William tends to be kind of annoying." He told her, realizing whom it was after he had heard her voice.  
  
"It's SPIKE"  
  
Buffy heard the yell, and raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you had a brother."  
  
"I don't he's my cousin, so anyway, why'd you call?" Angel asked, wishing his cousin would go away. Spike was standing right next to him, trying to hear what Buffy was saying. Angel ending up whacking him over the head again, and that was when Spike decided to leave the room.  
  
"Oh, I was just wondering, that if you wanted to we could maybe go to the Bronze together on Friday?" Buffy said, trying hard to keep any babble talk that may surface kept down so she didn't sound nervous or anything.  
  
"Sure, I guess we could go." Had she just asked him on a date? Did girls do that? He shook his head, well, that made it a little easier than asking her himself, she had done all the work for him.  
  
On the other end, Buffy smiled, and gave Willow a thumbs up, causing the red head to smile widely. Finally Buffy and Angel were going to do something.  
  
"Ok, so you want to meet me there around seven or so?" She asked.  
  
"Or I could pick you up, save you a walk." He offered not really sure why he had.  
  
"Ok, sounds good, so around seven then."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Ok, see you then." Buffy said, and hung up the phone. She looked over at Willow, "He's going to pick me up at seven on Friday."  
  
Willow looked at her, "See, I told you it would go good, well, actually I didn't, but I did get you to call him."  
  
"Yes, you must remind me to repay you with some kind of ice cream treat for that." Buffy said, sighing. "I just can't believe he said yes, and it was just like that too. He didn't even hesitate first."  
  
"I told you he likes you," Willow said, picking up her note card and looking at it. She raised an eyebrow. "These are your notes on the Vietnam War?" She asked, and Buffy grabbed the note card out of her hand.  
  
"No, that was what I was writing because I was distracted from my notes which are on that other note card down there." She said pointing down at the other note card on the floor that was covered in really small words and sentences.  
  
"And you were scribbling Angel's name on that one for what reason?"  
  
Buffy looked down at the card, regarding the many different ways she had written Angel's name. Cursive, normal, bold, capitals, every which way.  
  
"What, I needed something to do." She said, and Willow laughed at her.  
  
"Well, obviously you found that something...."  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
"So, who was that Peaches?" Spike asked Angel as he hung up the phone.  
  
"A friend, why do you care?" Angel asked, still a little mad at him for being so annoying and for not minding his own business.  
  
"Well, it must have been important if it's gotten you all huffy."  
  
Angel sighed, frustrated, "It was Buffy."  
  
"Buffy? What kind of name is that?"  
  
"Well, what kind of a name is Spike?" Angel retorted, walking out of the room, Spike close at his heels.  
  
"A cool one, but Buffy, is it short for something?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Who would name their kid Buffy? I mean that's just crazy."  
  
Angel turned around, and Spike bumped into him, not reacting in time to his sudden change in direction.  
  
"Shut up Spike, and leave me alone." He said, walking into his room. The door slammed, and Spike just looked at it.  
  
"Aw.... I get it, little Angel here's got a crush on a girl, is it now? Is she your girl friend?" He asked through the door.  
  
"No."  
  
"Then can I hook up with her? Bird's got a nice voice."  
  
"NO."  
  
"Alright peaches, what ever you say."  
  
"Yeah what ever I say, now do what I say, and go away."  
  
Spike sighed, and walked down the hall into his own room. There must have been something special about this girl if Angel liked her. And Spike wanted to know exactly what mad his cousin like this girl so much.  
  
A/N Yay, I finished, and look, Spike's going to be all mischievous and stuff, jut cause it's funny when he is. Will this cause some trouble for Buffy and Angel, I don't know, I've only just started chapter 8. So I'll just go work on that. But it wont be up unless I get at least two review for this chapter, just because I'm so good a t updating.   
  
Bloody SunSet 


	8. Standing Up To The System

A/N Here we go, chapter eight. Wow, I never thought I'd get this far in a story. This is a first for me.  
  
Orchid6297, fuioq, sandy-eco, and skye-lark913, I would like to thank you for reviewing, so.... Thank you!   
  
Disclaimer: Um... I dun own it, I dun get sued!  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
Last Chapter Summary: Willow met Oz, Angel denied Xander the use of his car to impress Cordy, and Buffy asked Angel out. Oh, and we met Spike, pretty eventful chapter, no?  
  
But It Feels So Right  
  
"So Angel, you going to point this Buffy girl out to me?" Spike asked, as he and Angel arrived at school.  
  
"No, you'll just annoy her to death." Angel replied, parking his car.  
  
He and Spike hopped out and made their way into the building. Spike pretty much just followed Angel around when he came to school. He wasn't required to be here while he was out of England. So he figured bothering Angel at school would be something to do. And he could check out some of the American girls while he was there.  
  
"So.... What do you guys do for fun around here?"  
  
Angel looked at him funny, "What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, you can't just go to your classes without having any fun, can you?"  
  
"I'm not sure if I'm understanding your use of words here Will- Spike. Fun?"  
  
"Yeah, skip some classes, play with the girls, you know, normal guy stuff."  
  
"No, I don't have 'fun' in between classes, I try not to get in trouble." Angel said, approaching his locker.  
  
"Your no fun.... Hey, who's that?" Spike asked as a raven-haired girl walked by. She winked at him, and Spike smirked.  
  
"That's Dru, she's crazy, and you might want to avoid her." Angel said, grabbing his books, and closing his locker.  
  
"Right, I'll take your word for it, but only until I get a look at this Buffy chick that called last night."  
  
"You are going to leave Buffy alone." Angel snapped, as they walked into homeroom.  
  
"Aw.... Will you look at that, someone's a little over protective of a girl who isn't his girlfriend." Spike said, pulling an extra chair over to Angel's desk, and sitting down next to him. "So is she here yet?"  
  
"No." Angel lied as he watched Buffy enter the room, talking happily with Willow. She looked over at him, and flashed him a quick smile, he smiled back, but wasn't sure if she caught it.  
  
"Oh, the blonde chick, got it. You always did have a thing for blondes." Spike said smirking at Angel, and Angel growled at him.  
  
"Shut up Spike."  
  
Spike only rolled his eyes, "What ever, you can have her, she looks a bit to frail for my liking anyway."  
  
Angel hit his cousin over the head, "I told you to shut up."  
  
"Alright peaches, I'll be quiet, for now anyway."  
  
The teacher walked into the room, and began roll call, but none of the students were listening, so he just counted heads to make sure everyone was there.  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
Buffy looked around for Willow as she walked into the schoolyard. She spotted her immediately, noticing that her red hair stuck out in the crowd. She almost walked over, but then she noticed that Will was talking to someone, and that someone just happened to be Oz.  
  
She smiled to herself, and waited until the two had finished talking before she walked over to her friend.  
  
"Hey Will, what's with you and Oz?" She asked.  
  
"Nothing, he just wanted to talk about the play, because they're posting the try-out results today, and he said he was hoping I got the part I tried out for." Willow explained as she and Buffy walked up the front steps of the school.  
  
"And why did he want you to get the part exactly?"  
  
"Because he got the part opposite of that one!" Willow said, and Buffy could see she was extremely excited about this. "I mean, he actually said that's why he wanted it. It was really cool!"  
  
"I be it was cool Willow, so, do we think he likes you, or do we know he likes you?" Buffy asked as they approached homeroom after going to their lockers.  
  
"Well, it could be just because the other girls there were really bad, or it could be because he likes me." Willow said, "And I think I like the second one better...."  
  
"Well then, we'll go with the first one." Buffy and Willow entered the classroom, and Buffy looked around for Angel. When she saw him she smiled, and she wasn't sure if she got a smile back, or if he was laughing at something the kid next to him was saying.  
  
Wait. Who was that kid?  
  
Buffy looked back to where Angel was sitting, and saw a handsome, platinum blonde boy sitting next to him. She wondered if the school had a new student, or maybe.... It was Angel's cousin. They didn't look much alike, so Buffy wasn't sure, she would ask later.  
  
"Hello, earth to Buffy? What are you looking at?"  
  
"New guy I think," She said turning back to Willow as they made their way back to their seats.  
  
"New guy, I didn't hear anything about a new guy, maybe just a visitor?" Willow wondered aloud.  
  
"Willow, Buffy, what are you two up to this fine morning?" Xander asked, taking his normal seat in front of Buffy.  
  
"New guy." They stated, and Buffy nodded in Spike's direction.  
  
"Oh, that's not a new guy. That's Angel's cousin." Xander told them, "He's a real pain in the ass."  
  
"That's William?" Buffy asked in disbelief, "He sure doesn't look like a William, more like some kind of gang member, with a really weird nick name."  
  
"Well, he likes to be called Spike." Xander said, earning a confused look from both Buffy and Willow.  
  
"Do we even want to know why?" Willow asked, exchanging glances with Buffy.  
  
"Not really.... So anyway, what are we doing tonight? Group dance down at the bronze sound good?"  
  
"Actually, I'm kind of busy tonight Xander, sorry." Buffy apologized.  
  
"What could you be doing that's more important then hanging with me and Will?"  
  
"Well, I'm kind of going to the Bronze with Angel tonight, as like a 'just the two of us' thing." Buffy explained, "Or at least I think it's a 'just the two of us' thing, I wasn't to sure about that...."  
  
"I'm sure it is, Angel's not going to bring his friends with he, is he?" Willow asked.  
  
"I don't know, I didn't ask, should I have asked."  
  
"Calm down Buffy. I'll talk to Angel for you, make sure he doesn't bring any of his friends along with him, ok?" Xander said, reassuringly to Buffy.  
  
She sighed, "Thank you Xander, I so owe you one."  
  
"I'll remember that, there will come a time where I may need a favor." Xander said, "Oh, and speaking of that favor you owe me Buffy, you don't happen to have a car, do you?"  
  
"No, I don't, why?"  
  
"Oh, no reason, I was just wondering."  
  
"Hey Whelp, Peaches over there wouldn't introduce me to his friends, so I figured I'd come over here and let you do it for him." Spike said, sitting on top of Xander's desk.  
  
Xander sighed in annoyance, "Willow, Buffy, this is Will-"  
  
"Spike."  
  
"Right, Spike. Spike this is Willow and Buffy."  
  
Willow half smiled at him, and Buffy looked up at him curiously, "So you're the guy who answered the phone last night, huh?"  
  
"Yep, that was me". Spike answered, "And you must be the girl that's got Angel all nervous over tonight."  
  
Buffy raised an eyebrow, "Wait, he's what?"  
  
"A nervous wreck, pet." Spike said, "It was hilarious. He was all huffy about what he was going to wear, like a bloody woman or something." Buffy and Willow glared at him. "Oh, no offense."  
  
Willow elbowed Buffy in the gut, and Buffy looked at her.  
  
"See, he wouldn't be so nervous if he didn't like you." She whispered, so that no one but Buffy heard.  
  
"Maybe you're right Will." Buffy whispered back, "So, what isn't Angel over here right now?  
  
"Oh, he was very worried I'd embarrass him or something. Don't know why, I don't seem to be embarrassing anyone right now."  
  
The bell rang, and the class got up, including Buffy, Willow and Xander.  
  
"I guess we'll see you around then Spike." Buffy said, giving him a friendly smile.  
  
"And I guess I'll be seeing you around too, pet." He replied, hopping off the desk and going back over to Angel, who was looking really ticked off at his cousin.  
  
Buffy and Willow headed toward math class once they got into the hallway, the opposite way of Xander, Angel and Spike, who were headed to English.  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
Buffy yawned, and laid her head down on her math book. This class could really not get any worse, well, actually it could. She could get detention for sleeping during class, not fun. Or she could not get detention, by looking up at what the teacher was doing.  
  
Sighing, she lifted her head up off the desk. Buffy was mostly bored because this one the one class that Willow refused to talk to her in. Something about how it was one of the classes she really had to concentrate in.  
  
Yeah right.  
  
Willow was good at everything that involved being smart. She was the school's very own genius, and another thing Willow was good at. Making Buffy do things.  
  
Buffy probably never would have called Angel lat night if it hadn't been for Willow bugging the hell out of her during their study session, and in class, and between classes, and before school. Apparently Willow had a real problem about Angel and Buffy not being together, though Buffy couldn't figure out what it was.  
  
Oh well, she could bug Willow about it later. Right now, she had to concentrate. There was a math quiz in a week, and Buffy had her mind set on passing, even though she figured it would be impossible.  
  
"Miss Summers?"  
  
"Yes Mr. Lydon?"  
  
"Would you care to come up to the board and solve this problem for the class?" He asked, holding out a piece of chalk for her to take.  
  
"Sure, I guess so." Buffy said, taking the chalk.  
  
One thing Buffy was not good at, getting up in front of the class and trying to do something that wasn't exactly her strong point. Then again, the problem on the board wasn't that hard. Except for the fact that Buffy had only a small idea of what to do.  
  
"Ok, Buffy, you can do think, you and Willow went over this yesterday." She whispered to herself, and started the problem.  
  
When she finished, she turned around, and looked at the teacher.  
  
"Good job miss Summers, that is correct, please take your seat."  
  
Buffy smiled, and sat down, 'Ok, that's one problem down, now there's only one more to go....' She said to herself, thinking about what was going to happen at seven o'clock that night.  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
"Good job in class Buffy, I knew you could conquer Pythagorean theorem." Willow said as they left the classroom for Art.  
  
"I'd agree with you Will, if I knew what that was." Buffy joked, "Oh wait, you mean that thing with the triangles?"  
  
"Yeah, that's one way tot put it I guess."  
  
"So what are we doing in art today, listening to a lecture, watching a movie, or are we actually doing something today?" Buffy asked.  
  
So far in art class they had done nothing that had anything to do with art. It was either watching some movie on textures, or listening to the teacher rant on about how no one appreciates art. Buffy figured the class would appreciate it more, if they actually got to do something.  
  
"Um, I think we are experimenting with paints today, should be fun."  
  
"Experimenting with, or looking at?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I guess we're just going to have to find out."  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
"I believe that if society was more appreciative of art, the world would be a better place..."  
  
"Oh will you shut up already!"  
  
The class all turned to look at Spike, who was now standing next to his cousin.  
  
"All you talk about is letting the world have art, and be 'one' with art, then why don't you let us do something? I don't know, play with the paints or something more than listen to you talk about how our world is in desperate need of art. Well, let's make some!"  
  
Spike finished his outburst, and looked around at the students who were all staring at him like he was crazy. Angel looked especially perturbed, it was his cousin after all, and he would be lucky if he didn't get suspended.  
  
"Mr. O'Connor, if your cousin is done, I would see it fit that you and he remove yourselves from my classroom, as of immediately." The teacher practically yelled at Angel, who stood up, and quickly pushed Spike out of the room.  
  
They didn't get to the door, before a hand shot up, "Excuse Ms. Mark?"  
  
"Yes, Miss Summers?"  
  
"Not to be rude or anything, But I believe Spi- er.... William has a point, all you ever do is talk, and we never get to do anything that even has anything to do with art in anyway."  
  
"Miss Summers, would you like to be excused from my class as well?"  
  
Buffy didn't say anything for a second, "As a matter of fact, sitting in the hallway would be better than sitting through your class." She said, standing up, and walking to the door where Angel and Spike stood.  
  
"Well then, see that you don't come back to my classroom this semester."  
  
Buffy looked at Willow, who was looking up at her horrified at what she was doing. Buffy merely smiled at her, and walked out of the room.  
  
Spike turned to Angel as the two of them followed Buffy out of the room, "I think I know why you like this girl, mate." He said, smirking.  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
Angel just stared at Buffy when the classroom door slammed behind them. (Courtesy of Spike). And she just looked straight back at him.  
  
"What?"  
  
He blinked, "What were you thinking?"  
  
"What do you mean?" She asked, innocently.  
  
"I mean, standing up for my cousin, or whatever you were doing in there, it was crazy, stupid, an-"  
  
"Bloody brilliant! You sure told her off Summers, I'm beginning to learn why Angel here likes you." Spike interrupted, beaming at Buffy. "You got spunk, pet."  
  
But Buffy didn't hear all of what Spike had said. She had stopped listening when he said that Angel liked her. Was it true? Was Spike telling the truth? Well, he had to be, because Angel looked just a little but shocked at Spike's outburst. If anything, he looked like he was ready to strangle the guy.  
  
"Thanks, I think." Buffy said, smiling, "To bad that's going to land me a lot of detention...."  
  
"Yeah but still, it was awesome, couldn't have done a better job myself."  
  
"Again, thanks Spike." She said, but she was looking at Angel, wondering about what Spike had said. Oh well, she would know later that night for sure.  
  
A/N hehehe How was that for an update? Did I do good? Am I being really annoying? Do you all hate me for not putting the date in this chapter? Well, I figured as much. Anyway, keep the reviews coming! I sort of only begin to type after I get them....  
  
Bloody SunSet 


	9. Friday Night At Last

A/N hm... guess what everyone. I got my ears pierced, again! Yay for me! So just because I'm in a good mood, I think I'll make this chapter a bit longer than normal, with a bit more detail, how does that sound?  
  
Thank you to Tariq, skye-larke913, and meg for reviewing, your reviews cause this chapter to happen.  
  
Disclaimer: I own the plot, does that count for anything?  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
Last Chapter Summary: Angel brought Spike to school, what was he thinking? Buffy stood up for Spike, and got herself kicked out of Art class, and maybe there was some Willow and Oz sparkage going on....  
  
But It Feels So Right  
  
Buffy rummaged through he closet. She'd had at least twenty-four hours to find something to wear, and not that it was six thirty, she was panicking. Everything she had picked out, didn't look nice enough, or looked too nice. She figured this should be a casual thing, but she didn't know how to dress casually fancy, like she wanted to.  
  
She didn't want the full-fledged prom look, but she did want to look like she at least cared what he thought of her., and because of that, she couldn't just throw on some jeans and an old tee shirt.  
  
She finally decided on wearing a black, medium length skirt that came down to around her knees, and a white shirt, that tightly clung to her upper body. At first Buffy thought she looked like a slut, but then decided it look, ok.  
  
She grabbed some black high heels and looked at the clock. Six forty-five. She still had time to get ready, do her make up and stuff. She smiled, and went into the bathroom.  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
(The dilemma in another's perspective....)  
  
Angel stood in front of his dresser in his boxers. He pulled out a pair of jeans and a dark red button up shirt. He pulled the shirt over his head, but tossed the jeans over his shoulder, figuring he would look a little under dressed if he wore them.  
  
He sighed, and buttoned p the shirt, just as Spike walked into his room.  
  
"Don't you ever knock?" Angel asked obviously annoyed that his cousin had chosen now to come and annoy him.  
  
"Not unless I have to, nope." Spike said, sitting down on Angel's bed, next to a pile of clothes. "God man, what are you doing?"  
  
"I'm getting dressed, what does it look like?" Angel asked, not looking at him, he was too busy searching through his drawers looking for some black pants that would look good on him.  
  
"You look like you're going through every article of clothing you own." Spike told him, looking through the pile of clothes.  
  
"Yeah well, I want to look good tonight, ok?"  
  
"Oh, that Buffy chick, right." Spike asked, "Well, if this girl can get you so riled up over something like a stupid trip to your little club downtown, it' be funny to see what you'd do if you were going on a real date."  
  
"Will you just shut up!" Angel shouted at him, tuning around, and pulling a pair of black pants on.  
  
"That's all you tell me to do, so, I guess my answer is no, I'm not going to shut up just because you want me to."  
  
Angel growled at him, then rolled his eyes, Spike was trying to piss him off, make him nervous, and Angel knew it. It was what Spike did, annoyed people, kind of his thing.  
  
Spike smirked at his cousin, "Well, I'll be seeing you later peaches, ta." He said, leaving the room, and closing the door behind him.  
  
Angel watched him go, then turned to the mess on his bed. Now that he was dressed, he had to clean it up....  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
"Buffy Anna Summers! Get you but down here this instant!" Buffy heard her mother's voice from the bottom of the stairs, and ran down to her.  
  
"Yeah mom?" She asked, and her mother gave her a quizzical look, seeing what she was wearing.  
  
"Where do you think you're going tonight, little lady?" Her father asked coming into the room.  
  
"I was going out with Angel, to the Bronze." She said, not quite understanding what her parents were playing at.  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
"We received a call from the school this afternoon. It seems you interrupted a class, and insulted one of your teachers." Mrs. Summers said, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
Buffy froze, now knowing where this conversation was going.  
  
"Therefore, you will be going no where tonight. No Bronze."  
  
Buffy's mouth fell open, but she couldn't speak in protest. This just had to happen today, didn't it. The one night her parents noticed she existed, or had done something, was the one night she wanted to be invisible.  
  
"But, mom!" She cried when she could finally speak.  
  
"No buts Buffy, now go up to your room." Her mother replied, and Buffy turned and went back up the stairs, and into her room.  
  
Then she realized something. He parents didn't know that Angel was a guy. If they found out she was dating anyone, she would be murdered, well not literally....  
  
She picked up the phone and quickly dialed the number. It rung six times before anyone picked it up.  
  
"'Ello, O'Conno-"  
  
"Spike?"  
  
"Is that you Buffy? Oh, Angel was just about to leave to come get you-"  
  
"Yeah, that's great, is he still there?"  
  
"Yeah, hold on."  
  
The only reason Spike was cooperating at all was because Buffy had sounded panicked, and rushed. He wondered what she wanted.  
  
"Hey Peaches, Phone!" He called up the stairs. He heard Angel call an "I got it!" back down to him, so he went and picked up the other phone. Hey was listening to someone else's phone conversations against the law?  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Angel?"  
  
"Hey Buffy, I was just on my way ov-"  
  
"Don't even bother...." Buffy said, interrupting him, with a sigh.  
  
"What, why?" Angel asked, his confusion extremely evident in his voice.  
  
"I'm grounded. My parents found out what happened a school today...." She said, solemnly.  
  
"So that means...."  
  
"I can't go out with you tonight...."  
  
"Oh...." He sighed, and waited for her to speak again. When she didn't he almost hung up.  
  
"Angel?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"That doesn't mean I don't want to go out with you." She said, meekly, hoping he wouldn't hang up.  
  
"Right, so I'll see you on Monday?" He asked. Buffy could tell he was disappointed, sad even that she had called.  
  
Then she got an idea, "Wait, how bout you swing by my house anyway? I'll meet you out front."  
  
"But I thought you said your parents grounded you."  
  
"Screw my parents, they don't give a damn about me anyway." She said rather harshly, and Angel picked up that maybe Buffy didn't like her parents all that much.  
  
"I don't know Buffy...."  
  
"Please Angel, I promise it wont get you in any trouble at all." She pleaded, wondering what it would take to get him to say yes.  
  
"But-"  
  
She sighed, "look Angel, I don't know about you, but I was kind of looking forward to tonight, but if you don't want to go-"  
  
"It's not that I don't want to go, it's just.... I don't want to get you in trouble." He explained.  
  
Buffy smiled, "Thanks for the concern Angel, but I think I can handle my parents. Meet in my front yard, but don't park in front of the house, ok?"  
  
"Ok." She heard him sigh on the other line, and Buffy's smile disappeared. Maybe he didn't want to go out with her, maybe that's why he thought she should stay home.  
  
The other line clicked, and went dead. Buffy slowly put down her receiver, and got up. She locked her door, and turned her CD player on. Not loud enough so that the parents would get mad, but loud enough for them to think she was still in her room.  
  
She opened up the window, and slipped outside onto the roof, making a move to close the window, she heard o knock on he door, followed by, "Buffy?"  
  
Se panicked, and slipped back inside and unlocked the door. Then closing the window, she hurriedly sat down on her bed, and grabbed a magazine, just as the door opened.  
  
She looked up angrily at her father, who had just walked in. "What?"  
  
"Listen, your mother is quite upset with you now, so we just waned to make sure that you were able to get back into that class. We will expect you to have a letter written to your teacher, explaining your actions."  
  
Buffy looked up at him, "Yes sir." She said in a mocking tone.  
  
"Good." He said, turning to leave. When he finally did, Buffy closed the door behind him, and locked it once more.  
  
She went over to the window, and once again climbed outside. She jumped down off of the roof, and looked around. Angel wasn't here yet. She swallowed, suddenly realizing she hadn't told him exactly where she lived. She sighed at her own stupidity, and went out to the street. A pair of headlights greeted her, and she waved at the car.  
  
It pulled over, and she recognized Angel sitting in the front seat. He smiled at her, then looked concerned. "You sure this is ok?"  
  
"Positive. Don't worry about it."  
  
She opened the door, and hoped into the black convertible. Closing it she looked at him, "Let's go."  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
When they reached the Bonze, Angel parked the car, and like a perfect gentleman, opened Buffy's door for her. She smiled at him, and got out of the car. She took his hand and they walked into the Bronze.  
  
Buffy looked up at Angel as soon s they got inside, but he didn't look down at her. She frowns, and stepped in front of him.  
  
"What's wrong." She asked, and he looked at her.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You're all broody, and stuffy tonight, can't you just smile for once." She asked, jokingly.  
  
He smirked at her, and pulled her over to a table. "I'll smile later, ok?" He asked, as he sat down. Buffy looked down at him.  
  
"Sure, but you have to promise me something."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"You'll relax and have fun, you seem tense."  
  
Angel studied her for a second, why didn't she seem nervous? How could she be so calm. He figured she would have been at least a little hesitant tonight, but she seemed confident, and happy. It made him relax a bit, and he smiled at her.  
  
"Ok, I promise."  
  
"Good."  
  
Buffy couldn't understand why she was so excited, or perky tonight, it was just the way being around Angel made her feel. Well, not normally, normally, she was afraid she say something stupid, or screw something up, but tonight, she wanted tonight to be perfect, which was weird for her.  
  
Angel stood up, and faced Buffy, "well, as a start to this evening, do you want to dance?" he asked, still finding himself a little nervous."  
  
"Yeah, I would." She said, taking him hand, and allowing him to lead her to the dance floor.  
  
Angel had been hoping for a slow song, but he didn't have that much luck tonight. A rather suggestive tune flowed out of the speakers, and into the room around them. Buffy looked up at him, questioning him about this song. He just shrugged, and she knew he hadn't planned it.  
  
Buffy turned her back to him, and leaned against him. Angel raised his eyebrows, and wondered what she was doing. She grabbed his hands, and wrapped them around her waist, leaning in closer to him.  
  
Angel was surprised, to say the least, at Buffy's actions, but he was more surprised to the way he responded to her being this close to him. Angel allowed her to press herself full against him when she turned around.  
  
She looked up at him, questioningly, hoping she wasn't being pushy. And from the look on his face, she could tell that maybe she was acting a bit sluttish. She stepped away from him, and looked down, muttering a "sorry".  
  
Angel sighed in relief that she had backed off just a little bit, then seeing that she looked a bit embarrassed, he wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her close to him, just as the song faded out. Buffy looked up at him, and he smiled.  
  
"Sorry for what?" he asked, as a slow song came on.  
  
Buffy realized that he didn't think she was acting like a slut, and she smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck.  
  
"Nothing, I guess..." She said, thinking her answer sounded stupid.  
  
"Then why'd you say you were?"  
  
"I don't know.... Guess I thought I was acting strangely...." She explained, mostly to herself.  
  
Angel smiled, but didn't respond. He heard Buffy sigh, and looked down at her, when she rested her head on his chest. It, again, calmed him down when he finally realized that she was nervous too, even if she wasn't showing it that much. Her last actions had proved that she was as unsure of what to do, as he himself was. And he was ok with that.  
  
"Buffy?"  
  
"Mmm?"  
  
"Comfy?" He asked, and she looked up at him.  
  
"Extremely...."  
  
"Good."  
  
Buffy laid her head back down, and could hear Angel's heartbeat as they swayed back and forth to the music. She sighed again, feeling content, when the song suddenly changed to something a little more 'upbeat'.  
  
She heard Angel's sigh of annoyance, and pulled away from him, "C'mon, let's sit this one out." She suggested.  
  
He nodded, and took her hand, "You want something to drink?" He asked, as they sat down at the table.  
  
"No, I'm ok."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Ok, I'll be right back then." He said, standing up, and disappearing into the crowd, heading towards the bar.  
  
Buffy took a deep breath, and laid her head down on the table. For some odd reason, she felt a little bit tired, but she couldn't figure out why. It couldn't be passed eight o'clock yet; there was no reason to be tired.  
  
She closed her eyes, waiting for Angel to return to the table. When she heard a glass clank down on the table, she lifted her head, but it wasn't Angel who had sat down.  
  
"Well hello there." The man who had sat down said.  
  
Buffy raised an eyebrow, "Can I help you?"  
  
Wrong thing to say.  
  
"Well actually yes, you could," he said moving his chair closer to her. "You could come on over here and...." He whispered the rest into Buffy's ear, and her eyes widened.  
  
"You perverted freak!" She practically screamed into his ear, and catching the guy off guard, she slapped him across the face.  
  
The guy growled, and grabbed her arm, "C'mon precious, don't cause a scene now."  
  
Buffy pulls her arm from his grasp, "Leave me alone." Said told him, then stole a quick glance around the room for her date. "Angel!?" she called, hoping he heard her.  
  
"Whose Angel babe? One of your girlfriends?" he asked, reaching for her arm again.  
  
"No. I'm Angel." Angel said stepping between the man and Buffy. She sighed in relief, and moved to stand beside him. Angel wrapped a protective arm around her waist.  
  
"Oh, sorry man didn't know she was with someone." The guy said, obviously intimidated by Angel's size alone, he probably knew that Angel could beat the crap out of him if he wanted to.  
  
"Well, now you do, so get lost." Angel told him, and the guy happily ran off in the other direction. Angel turned to Buffy, "Are you ok?"  
  
"Fine, thanks."  
  
"You sure?" He asked, not convinced.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine Angel, but if you hadn't come along then...." She trailed off, and looked up at him.  
  
"But I did, don't even think like that."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"C'mon, let's get out of here." Angel said, but Buffy didn't move when he started to walk. Stopping Angel looked at her.  
  
"One more dance?" She asked, thinking that she sounded like a three year old, but Angel only smiled at her.  
  
"Sure, then we're going to get going, ok?"  
  
"Ok." She led him back out onto the dance floor, just as a slow song came on. She recognized the song as 'Stairway To Heaven', and smiled, their last dance was going to be a long one.  
  
Angel pulls her close, wrapping his arms around her waist. She rests her arms on his shoulders, and her head on his chest.  
  
"Angel?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Thank you."  
  
He didn't say anything, just tightened his 'grip' on her, holding her as close as she could get to him. Seeing as she wasn't protesting, Angel figured she was ok with it, and rested his chin on her head.  
  
The song ended a little to quickly for either of their liking, and Angel looked down at Buffy.  
  
"Ok, time to go, right?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess so." She said, but she didn't move, she was too comfortable.  
  
Angel laughed to himself, "C'mon Buffy, time to go."  
  
"But I don't fell like moving...." She said into his chest, snuggling closer to him.  
  
Angel regarded her curiously, then decided if she was too comfortable to more herself, then he would have to do it.  
  
"Ok, whatever you say." He said, picking her up carefully.  
  
Buffy was so surprised, she almost shrieked, but instead, she looked at him ad said, "Angel, what are you doing?"  
  
"You said you didn't want to move, but I have to get you home before your parents notice you're gone." He explained, as Buffy squirmed in his arms.  
  
"Well, put me down, it's not like I can't walk!" She said, and Angel laughed, "Not going to happen."  
  
She stared at him, not believe what he had just said, "Angel O'Connor you put me down this instant!" She said, as he carried her out side.  
  
"Ok, if you insist." He said, and dropped her into his car.  
  
Buffy looked up at him like he was crazy, "What's going on with you?"  
  
"I'm having fun." He replied, getting into the driver's side, and starting the car. "C'mon, let's get you home."  
  
A/N YAY for me, it took a while to write this chapter, but I think it only took me a couple of days, if not one to get this chapter up. It's ten 'pages' long! I'm so proud of myself!  
  
But I'm not really sure if you guys liked it, so why don't you REVIEW, and tell me!!! It would make my day so much better if you did, because I have some kind of standardized test I have to take tomorrow, and it's going to be hell! Seriously, but at least I'm missing a couple of classes. Well, there's one good thing that comes from a bad thing. Anyway....  
  
PLEASE REVIEW! Cause then I'll update for you really, really soon! I Promise!  
  
Bloody SunSet 


	10. Back Home Again

A/N Hullo and welcome to the longest (so far) story I've kept writing for a period of time. Tank you to the four reviewers of the last chapter: Teisha, Tariq, meg, and kittenish! I never expected four reviews for a chapter I personally believed had the worst ending in the world.... Anyway on with what ever else I need to be typing now....  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned it, one: Buffy wouldn't be over, and Angel wouldn't have just one episode left....  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
Last Chapter Summary: Buffy dear, what were you thinking, sneaking out of the house, and to go on a date with Angel no less? Good job, I commend you.  
  
But It Feels So Right  
  
Angel pulled his car up in front of Buffy's house, and looked over at her, but she was staring at her lap.  
  
"See you tomorrow?" He asked, hoping she would look up at him.  
  
No such luck.  
  
"Unless my parents suddenly decide not to kill me, sure." She said, looking up at the house.  
  
He followed her gaze to one of the windows, where the shadow forms of a man and a woman could be seen. And for the first time, he heard the muted sound of yelling, and realized what Buffy meant. Or at least he thought he did.  
  
He took a deep breath, and put a hand on her knee, she looked over at him, and he could see fear present in her eyes. His expression changed, and he became concerned.  
  
"What is it?" He asked.  
  
"Nothing important, I'll just get yelled at, and yelled at some more, and maybe even grounded for longer than I am now. My dad will be really mad that I disobeyed him, really mad...." She said, with a little more fear in her voice than intended.  
  
She didn't want Angel to think she was afraid to go into her own home, if he didn't already, but it was complicated for her. She could barely explain it to herself, let alone anyone else.  
  
Angel stared at her for a second, "What do you mean really mad?"  
  
Buffy hesitated, "Well, he just yells a lot, I really don't like getting yelled at."  
  
He sighed, unfortunately she didn't trust him enough to tell him why she really didn't want to go back inside, and he probably wouldn't get her to.  
  
"Ok, so I'll see you tomorrow then, I'm going to swing by, even if you don't want me to."  
  
"Angel, you don't ha-"  
  
"Yes I do." He told her, his tone telling her she couldn't win.  
  
She sighed as he removed his hand from its resting place on her knee, and returned it to the steering wheel, then she unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed out of the car.  
  
He nodded at her, and she crossed her arms over her chest, "Bye...."  
  
"See you." Angel replied, but he didn't move the car when she turned around to go into her house. He waited until she opened the door, and disappeared inside.  
  
(::::::::)  
  
Buffy looked around, she could hear her parent's yells from the bottom of the stairs, and to tell the truth, it scared her. She made her way up the stairs a silently as she could, hoping that her father wouldn't hear her, and reached her room without a problem.  
  
She quietly closed the door, and leaned against it, but whatever secrecy she had thought she had had in getting in the house was false. Her door was forced open a second later by her father.  
  
"And where exactly have you been, little lady?" he asked, obviously not caring what the answer was.  
  
Buffy looked up at him, scared out of her mind, she knew what he was going to do, and she really didn't like the idea it.  
  
"I'm waiting...."  
  
"I w-was at the Bronze...." She said, her voice shaking.  
  
"Really, and didn't your mother and I tell you no Bronze tonight?" He asked, with enough venom in his voice to kill a man.  
  
"Y-yes...."  
  
"So why did you go?"  
  
"I-I had to...." She trailed off, knowing the answer would get her in even more trouble than she was already in.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"I had to m-meet someone there...."  
  
"Was it this Angel person?" He asked, his anger rising by the second.  
  
"Y-yes?"  
  
"Listen, I don't care who this girl is, or how popular she is, you are never to sneak out of this house, do I make myself clear?"  
  
Buffy almost sighed with relief; her father didn't know Angel was a guy that just might save her, "Yes sir."  
  
"Good, now as for you sneaking out in the first place...." He said, and Buffy knew their 'discussion' wasn't over....  
  
(::::::::)  
  
Angel sighed as he entered his house, and was greeted by an overly perky Spike.  
  
"So.... How'd it go peaches." He asked, getting in Angel's face.  
  
"Fine, go away." He told him annoyed.  
  
"Oh, so it went that way, what did you screw up?" Spike asked, following Angel up stairs, and eventually getting the door slammed in his face.  
  
He knocked on it loudly, "C'mon Angel, I'm the one person in the world who will judge you, let me in!" he yelled through the door.  
  
"Go away Spike."  
  
"No, I'm waiting right here until I get some details about how badly you screwed up."  
  
Angel opened his door, and almost go punched in the face at Spike's attempt to knock on the door.  
  
"Oh, wasn't expecting you to do that," He said as Angel moved out of the way so he should get in.  
  
Angel closed the door behind his cousin, and sat down on the bed. Spike watched him carefully, figuring that something had gone really wrong tonight, other wise Angel would have been all upbeat and telling him everything.  
  
Even though they weren't best friends, Spike and Angel knew practically everything about each other, especially moods. And Spike knew Angel was either confused, or angry at something right now.  
  
"So what's up?"  
  
"Buffy...."  
  
"What'd she do, dump you?" He asked with interest.  
  
"No."  
  
"Then what, you can't be so bummed if everything went alright." Spike said, taking the chair from Angel's desk, turning it around, and sitting down.  
  
"Everything at the bronze went fine, but Buffy had to sneak out of her house so that we could go." Angel explained, and seeing the look on Spike's face, knew Spike didn't know were this was going.  
  
"So, the girl likes you so much, she jumps out her window to go on a date with you? Doesn't sound to bad...."  
  
"Yeah well, when we got back to her house, he parents were up, and she as afraid to go back inside." Angel said, trying to get his cousin to realize what he was saying.  
  
"Yeah, her parents caught her after she snuck out, what kid wouldn't be afraid?"  
  
Angel sighed frustrated, "I think there's more to it than that, she seemed petrified, maybe she has family issues or something."  
  
"What kind of issues?"  
  
"I don't know, maybe it's nothing, but I don't think it is."  
  
"Well, ask her on Monday." Spike says, standing so he could leave.  
  
"I'll ask her tomorrow, I'm going over there." Angel said, looking up at Spike.  
  
"Don't you think you've done enough? Bad enough she had to sneak out for you, don't make it any worse Angel, stay here." Spike said, wondering if his cousin would take his advice, as he left the room to allow Angel some thinking room.  
  
(::::::::)  
  
Buffy sat on her bed, the covers draped over her. She looked around, jumping, or flinching at every sound she heard. Her breathing was ragged, and she finally decided she needed out of this place, for good.  
  
Maybe she could go to Willow's house, then again, Willow's mom probably wouldn't like her staying there. Maybe Angel? No, he wouldn't want anything to do with her if he found out she was this weak. She had no options. Except....  
  
She had an aunt down in LA who would take her in, and it's not like she would be alone down there, she had her cousin too. But then again, she didn't have enough money to get down there, and another reason, she could get her aunt in a lot of trouble if she tried to stay there.  
  
She leaned up against the headboard, and closed her eyes, resisting the temptation to pull the blankets over her head and cry. She needed to just stay still, and let morning come, it was bad enough tomorrow was Saturday, because she would have given anything for it to be Monday. She would have given anything to not be here.  
  
It was almost morning, and Buffy hadn't fallen asleep, she had stared at her door all night, fearful that it would open, and her father would come in.  
  
Her eyes were puffy, and red from her failure to hold her tears in, and her hands were cramped from holding onto the blankets that covered her some tightly. She hadn't been able to think, because of the adrenaline rushing through veins, and the thoughts coursing through her mind.  
  
When she finally found the nerve to stand up, she had to sit back down, not able to keep herself upright. She winced when she stretched her arms out in front of herself, and cringed when she saw the bruise on her shoulder.  
  
Attempting to stand once more, Buffy found her balance, and walked to her dresser. She looked around for a small book, but doesn't find it, beginning to panic, she opened a couple of the drawers and rummaged through them.  
  
No book.  
  
She looked around her room, suddenly extremely worried at what had happened to the book. Had her father found it, had he read it?  
  
Then it hit her, she hadn't let her diary on the dresser, she had left it under the bed. Painfully, she kneels down and searches around for the book with her hand, finding it she pulls it out and looks at it.  
  
Still locked, still private, good. She had been sure her father would have taken it if he had found it. Luckily, he hadn't.  
  
The doorknob turned. Buffy threw the book back under her bed, and sat down, pulling the blankets back over herself.  
  
The door opened, and Buffy's father stood in the entrance. "Buffy?" he asked, entering the room.  
  
She didn't answer, just looked up at him.  
  
He glared at her, "You are expected to be down stairs in an hour, dressed and ready for breakfast, no buts." He said, then turned and left.  
  
She let out a sigh of relief, and stood once more, this time looking for something to wear for the day.  
  
(::::::::)  
  
Angel paced around his room, wondering if he had made the right decision not to go and see Buffy this today. Sure it was only eight in the morning, but he could make up an excuse to his parents of where he was going.  
  
He looked at the phone, and almost picked it up. Then, thought better of it. He wasn't going to go over there, he wasn't going to call. He would just see her on Monday, and find out then if she was ok.  
  
Of course Angel hated his decision, and didn't know why he had made it, he wanted to go make sure Buffy was ok, but he knew she was, nothing was going to happen to her in her own home.  
  
He sighed again, and sat down on his bed, now thinking about what had happened the other night at the Bronze. About Buffy and his date, what had it meant to him? What had it meant to her? What was going on with him? Was there something so special about Buffy, that he had to worry this much about what she thought about him? Was this what dating really was?  
  
A/N Sorry, got to stop there, chapter 11 is going to be Monday at the school, cause the weekend is pretty uneventful from this time on. Well, except for Angel asking himself hundreds of questions he won't know the answers too for a while....  
  
Bloody SunSet 


	11. Nowhere To Go

A/N Ok, today we are going to thank Arobow, Shayla-BA, Kari, meg, Tariq and kittenish for reviewing. And Arobow, the reason Spike and Angel seemed like friends, was that whole family, I mean, there are times when you want to kill your siblings, then the next minute your having a blast with them. I kind ran that theme with the whole Angel and Spike thing. Hope that clears up what ever you were confused about. Oh, and I fixed that little error in chapter ten for you.  
  
Disclaimer: Alas, every time I write this it gets even more depressing....  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
Last Chapter Summary: Buffy obviously has some problems at home, and angel wants to help, he just doesn't know what the problem is....  
  
But It Feels So Right  
  
Buffy sighed, and sat down, today was going to be pretty hard. Angel hadn't come over on Saturday like he had said he would, and that had kind of bugged her, though, it was best that he hadn't come over. He father wouldn't have liked that very much.  
  
She had dressed in baggy clothes today, hoping that would divert any attention to the bruises on her arms, that way, she wouldn't have to explain anything to anyone.  
  
The sweatshirt he was wearing was old, but comfortable, the only thing she didn't like about it was that it made her look like someone who couldn't afford to go shopping. Her pants were baggy cargos that were to long, so she stepped on them when she walked, and she hadn't even bothered to brush her hair this morning, so it was a mess. Not typical for Buffy, who normally took at least some pride in her appearance.  
  
When Willow approached her in homeroom, Buffy only smiled at her quickly, then went back to staring a hole through her desk. She wasn't in the mood for talking, and normally that's what Buffy and Willow did. Talk.  
  
"Hey Buffy." Willow said, taking her seat, instantly noticing that Buffy was distancing herself, "What's wrong?"  
  
Buffy didn't look up at willow when she answered, "Nothing, I'm fine."  
  
"Right, what happened?"  
  
"I don't want to talk about it Willow." Buffy said, a little harsher than she had intended.  
  
"Oh, never mind then" She said, still looking intently at her friend, "So, how was Friday night, with Angel, huh?"  
  
Buffy looked over at her, "Fun, I had fun." She said with a lack on enthusiasm.  
  
"Oh, did it go ok?"  
  
"Yeah, it went fine." Buffy replied, laying her head down on her desk, not believing she could make it through the rest of the day, and it had only just begun.  
  
"Hey Buffy, can we talk?" a familiar voice asked from behind her.  
  
She turned around to look at the speaker, and she almost smiled when she found out it was Angel. Almost. Her face reflected that of an old man who had just lost his wife in a car accident.  
  
"Sure...." She said, looking up at him.  
  
Angel glanced at Willow, then back to Buffy, "Alone?"  
  
"Oh, right." She stood up, and followed Angel out into the hallway, where there were only a couple of students hurrying to get to homeroom.  
  
She leaned against the wall and looked up at him.  
  
"Are you alright?" he asked, and Buffy gave him a quizzical look.  
  
"Of course I'm alright."  
  
"What happened Friday night?"  
  
"Well, if I remember you and me went to the Bronze and-"  
  
"Not, after that, when you got home."  
  
"I went inside and went to bed, no big deal." She lied, hoping that he'd buy it.  
  
"But you seemed scared to go inside Buffy." He said.  
  
"What teenager wouldn't be? My parents told me I wasn't supposed to go out, and I snuck out of the house." She explained.  
  
"It was more than that, you were petrified, Buffy. What happened?"  
  
"I got grounded, no big." She said, getting just a bit defensive.  
  
"Buffy, you can tell me." He said, trying to get a real answer out of her.  
  
"Tell you what Angel?"  
  
"Tell me what happened, what's going on with you?"  
  
"Nothing, why won't you believe me?"  
  
"Because you're lying to me Buffy. I would understand that a kid would be a little bit scared that their parents found out they snuck out, but not terrified."  
  
"Angel I've known you for less than a week, you don't need to know my whole life story." She said, her voice rising just a little bit.  
  
His expression changed, "Maybe I do, maybe I need to know what's going on in your life, I want to help."  
  
"Help with what? You're going to step into my life, and make everything perfect, I don't think it works that way."  
  
"Let me try Buffy. Let me in, tell me what happened to you, why are you acting like this?"  
  
"Maybe it's none of your business." She said, angrily, pushing passed him.  
  
He turned around, and grabbed her shoulder, turning her to face him. Buffy winced, and then looked at him, hoping he hadn't caught it, but he had.  
  
Realization hit him, and Angel looked down at her. "Did he hit you?" he asked, not able to keep his newly arisen anger out of his voice.  
  
Buffy looked down, suddenly loosing her ability to speak. He took his hand and cupped her chin in his hand, making her look up at him.  
  
"Did he hit you?" he asked again.  
  
Buffy looked into his eyes, and swallowed, "No."  
  
Angel gritted his teeth, and closed his eyes, knowing she hadn't told him the truth.  
  
Buffy took a deep breath, then stepped away from him, glancing down at the floor. He opened his eyes, and looked at her, questioning her choice to lie to him. Didn't she trust him?  
  
"Buffy."  
  
"No."  
  
"Buffy, I-"  
  
"Don't, just don't.... please.... just leave me alone." She said, and then turned from him, practically running down the hall, and out of the school.  
  
Angel just stood there and watched her go. What was going on? Why was Buffy so defensive, and why would she lie to him. Did she really have something that she felt she couldn't share with him? Isn't that what a relation ship was, always having someone to talk to, who will understand you?  
  
It took him a minute before he made the decision to run after her, he had to find her. Screw school, missing another day wasn't going to kill him.  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
At first, Buffy was just running randomly, not caring where she was going. Then it hit her. She still had friends; she still had a place to go, to hide, and to get away from it all.  
  
It took her a few minutes, but Buffy finally found what she was looking for. A small house with boarded up windows. The iron fence around the property was bent in one spot to allow easy access to the yard.  
  
Buffy jumped over it with ease, and went around to the back door, knowing it would be open. But just incase she wasn't still welcome here; she knocked, loud, and hard on the door.  
  
It opened, and a dark haired girl looked down at Buffy. "Well, well, well. Looks whose here fellas, Summers decided not to abandon us after all." She said, "Come on in B, what are you doing here?"  
  
Buffy hesitantly walked through the door, and heard it thump closed behind her. She looked around; familiar faces greeting her as she did.  
  
"Hey Buffy, you back for good this time, we missed you." One guy said from the corner. Buffy recognized him as her first boy friend, Pike. He was the only one in this crowd that was sane. He only hung out here because he had nowhere else to go.  
  
When she didn't reply to his question, Pike got up and walked over to her. "You alright Buffy? You seem a little out of it."  
  
"I'm fine, just zoning a little bit, you know me, and I tend to do that a lot." She said.  
  
"Yeah, you do." He said, walking around behind her, and wrapping his arms around her.  
  
This was foreign to Buffy, she and Pike were over, and him having his arms around her felt wrong. She leaned back against him, not knowing what else to do, and trying to make the situation a little less awkward for her. She tried to picture that she was with Angel now, not Pike.  
  
She heard him groan, and turned her head, unsuccessfully trying to look at him. "What?"  
  
"Nothing, it's just, god Buffy, you feel so good." He said, and Buffy felt his hands rubbing her stomach. She winced as they ran over one of her bruises, but Pike paid it no heed; she had had bruises when they were dating, it was normal to him. His hands roamed her stomach, going a little to low for her liking.  
  
"Pike, stop it." She told him, finding herself relieved when his hands rested themselves on her stomach. "You can't do that anymore."  
  
"And why not, you got someone new?" He asked, and Buffy turned around in his arms.  
  
She thought for a second, were she and Angel girlfriend and boyfriend, or just friends? They hadn't kissed yet, but they had gone out. Could she say that she belonged to him, because she sure felt like she did.  
  
"Yes, I did find someone new." She finally said, and Pike looked at her strangely.  
  
He stared at her for a second, and then removed his hands from her waist. Taking a step back, he kept looking at her.  
  
"Then why'd you come back?" he asked bitterly, now glaring at her.  
  
"Woah there killer, I'm sure B never really left, she just needed some space, some time, ya know?" The brunette who had let her in said, stepping next to Buffy.  
  
Pike glared at her, "What ever," she said, looking at Buffy once more before returning to where he had been sitting before.  
  
"Thanks Faith."  
  
"Any time, he's still a little possessive of you B, don't worry, it'll pass." She said, "So, who's the lucky guy?"  
  
Buffy hesitated, "Well, we're kind of having some issues now, so I wouldn't call him lucky."  
  
"Oh, what happened? You beat him up or something?"  
  
"No, I kind of got beaten up, and just snapped at him." She said.  
  
Faith ignored her second comment, "What do you mean got beaten up. Your old man still treating you like shit? When Buffy didn't answer, Faith gritted her teeth in anger, "Buffy, you can't let him do that to you, you have to fight back, or leave, because letting him do that isn't cool."  
  
Buffy looked at her, "I have no where to go, and he's stronger than me, I can't do anything about it."  
  
Faith sighed, "You're right B, you really don't have anywhere to go, and you can't do anything about it because you wont do anything about it."  
  
"What do you mean?" Buffy asked looking surprised at Faith's reaction to her situation.  
  
"I mean that you never stand up for yourself, you let people walk all over you. Look, this is the only advice you'll ever get out of me, but you can't let people do that to you." She said, "And I'm sorry to say, but you're not welcome here anymore, you know the rules. You leave, you're out."  
  
Buffy looked at Faith, noting that she was perfectly serious, but then again, Buffy had known, she knew the rules of this place, hell, she had helped write them!  
  
Nodding at Faith, and looking once more at pike, Buffy opened the door and stepped outside, there was only one way to get them to accept her again, and she didn't like that option. There were trials you had to go through to get in, and Buffy didn't want to repeat any of them.  
  
She sighed, and walked around out to the front of the building. She sat down on a rock and put her head in her hands, what was she going to do? Going back to school would get her n trouble, going home, well that wasn't even an option, so she had no where to go. Even going home later was going to be tricky; if her parents found out she had run out of school, she would be in a lot of trouble.  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
Angel walked out in the middle of the street, looking around for a sign of which way Buffy had gone. He had tried to follow her, but had gotten to the point where he had lost hope of finding her. At first he had still been able to see her, but she seemed to be trying to loose him, and it had worked.  
  
He sighed, not knowing where Buffy would have gone, he hadn't known her for that long, ad didn't know any of the places she would run too. The only people he had ever seen her hang out with before she had met Willow and Xander, and himself, were punk kids.  
  
He had known a couple of them a while back, Pike, Faith, Gunn. They had all used to be his 'friends' at one point in time. Then something had happened, Angel wasn't quite sure what it was, but it probably had something to do with him refusing to trash principle Snyder's car.  
  
He shrugged those thoughts away, and concentrated on finding Buffy, even though he didn't know where to start. Deciding he couldn't d it alone, he raced back to his house, hoping to find that his cousin was still home.  
  
A/N Um.... Not sure if this made that much sense, but for all those people who reviewed, again, thank you, everyone out there who doesn't review, you owe this chapter to them! And yes, I do find this to not be taking shape now, so please, bear with me here, ok? And plus, Angel's on in an hour, and I'm still not over the fact that it's the last episode....  
  
Bloody SunSet 


	12. Out Of The Rain

A/N Um.... I'm in a bad mood about how Angel ended, so yeah, that's pretty much it. Did anyone else see it? Totally not what I wanted in a series finally, but I guess I have t live with it.... Thank you for reviewing skye- lark913, Kari, BAshipper101 and Jaci. Much appreciated.  
  
Disclaimer: Hm... go away!  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
Last Chapter Summary: Buffy obviously has some problems at home, and Angel wants to help, he just doesn't know what the problem is....  
  
But It Feels So Right  
  
Angel opened the door to his house, and ran upstairs to his cousin's room. "Spike! You home?" He called, when he didn't find him in his room.  
  
"Yeah, I'm outside!" He heard Spike's voice from the backyard.  
  
Angel ran back down the stairs, and out the back door. "I need your help." He said, just a little out of breath from running all the way home from school.  
  
"You need my what?" Spike asked in disbelief.  
  
"Help."  
  
"Right, what you do this time, break something?"  
  
"No. It's Buffy, she ran away." Angel said.  
  
"From home, well, that's not your problem is it?"  
  
"No, from me, we were at school talking then she split, I need help finding her." He explained, catching his breath.  
  
"Right and you want me to help?"  
  
"Sunnydale's may not be the largest town in California spike, but it's still pretty big, I can't cover the entire town."  
  
"Oh alright, but you owe me for this."  
  
Angel glared at his cousin for his lack of concern for the girl, then turned and walked back into the house, Spike following.  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
Buffy looked around, the sky was graying, and the sun was behind a cloud. She crossed her arms on her chest, and sighed, wondering what to do. She had to find somewhere to go before it started raining, and she knew she only had a short time before that happened, judging by the color of the clouds.  
  
She wrapped her arms tighter around herself, and leaned against the old house. String up at the sky, she felt a drop of rain on her cheek, but she wasn't sure if it was really the rain.  
  
Her eyes closed and she tucks her head down, resting it on her knees, which were pulled close to her chest, and held there tightly by her arms. She shivered and opened her eyes again, looking around. It had gotten darker though it was only mid-day, and foreshadowed weather seemed to reflect how she was feeling, but Buffy didn't even know if she was feeling.  
  
If this was just a dream, why couldn't she wake up? Wake up and see the sun floating over her in a blue sky, filled with silver clouds, and chirping birds. Everything that seemed to make your troubles just go away, but that was the dream. The sun, the birds, that was her imagination. This, her sitting there with nowhere to go, and no one to care, this was real, and for once, Buffy felt like she wouldn't be able to escape it....  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
Spike looked over at Angel as they walked out into his front yard, "So where should we start?" he asked.  
  
Angel frowned and looked down, "I haven't the faintest clue, where would a troubled girl run to?"  
  
"Did you go ask Faith? I'm sure she'd tell you anything she knew."  
  
"I would have done that earlier, but I couldn't find her, she has a way of hiding from the world."  
  
"Yeah well, c'mon, I know a place we could check, maybe she'll be there." He said, staring off down the street, Angel following him.  
  
They walked for fifteen minutes before Spike decided to change directions, heading toward a part of town that either of them seldom went near. It wasn't the kind of place where you would see children playing in the front yard with their puppies. No, this was the kind of place where the runaway kids lived.  
  
Angel knew some of the kids down here came from as far away as San Francisco, and Sacramento, just to get away from their parents, or sometimes, even the police. Some of the kids attended the school, but most of them just skipped out if they were enrolled, or sat around all day if they weren't.  
  
Now, not to say this part of town wasn't nice, it was just a place that most people stayed away from because of the rumors that floated around about it. The ones that suggested shootouts and other things seem in movies. But the truth was, it was just a part of town that the real estate brokers hadn't begun to tear down, and to all the people who lived there, it was a quiet sanctuary.  
  
Spike stopped, and pointed to a house, "I'm pretty sure that's where Faith and her gang hangs out, you want me to go in with you, or can you handle it?" he asked, looking over at Angel.  
  
"I'm pretty sure I can handle it, I'll be right out." He said, as the two of them hopped over the fence, and Angel walked around back, leaving Spike alone in the front yard.  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
Angel tapped on the door softly, but just enough to alert the people inside that there was someone there. He waited for only a moment before he came face to face a familiar friend.  
  
"Angel? Come in, what are you doing here?" Faith asked, opening the door all the way.  
  
"I'm looking for Buffy, have you seen her?" he asked, not refusing her offer to come inside, but not wanting to take the chance that someone in there didn't like him.  
  
"Yeah, she stopped by earlier, but she didn't stay, she was kind of upset about something." Faith told him, leaning on the doorframe, "Any particular reason you're looking for her?"  
  
"I have to talk to her." He said, then turned around, "But if you haven't seen her, I'll just get out of here, see ya."  
  
"Alright, bye."  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
((During Angel's talk with Faith))  
  
Spike stood out front, waiting for Angel to do what ever he was doing, and wondering how long it was going to take. He was also wondering if Faith would be any help at all, she tended to only tell the truth to people she thought mattered. And Spike was pretty sure Angel wasn't on that list of hers.  
  
A couple of rain drops splashed down on his head, and he looked around for a place to sit out of the rain, but didn't see one, what he did see confused him.  
  
A person sat in the grass, leaning up against the house, he wasn't sure because of the hood that covered their head and face, but he was pretty sure it was a girl. He looked at her curiously for a moment, before making his over to her.  
  
"'Ello there, pet, what are you doing out here in the rain?" He asked, standing over her.  
  
She looked up, and Spike immediately recognized her, "Buffy? What are you doing here?"  
  
She didn't answer, just watched as he talked, not showing any emotion, confusing Spike even more. He would have thought that she would have been at least a little happy to see someone, especially because she was sitting in the front of an old, half way demolished house, in a place where girls her age just didn't hang out in.  
  
"Angel's been looking all over for you, pet, you got him worried hen you ran out of school today." Spike said, trying his best to explain to her what was going on, because she seemed a little bit clueless.  
  
"Has he really? To do what? Come find me, make it all go away, make everything just go away, and help me?" she asked bitterly, finding her voice, "Well tell him that I don't want help."  
  
Spike looked at her, questioning her words, knowing she really didn't mean them, "C'mon pet, you don't really mean that, what did Angel do to make you hate him so much?"  
  
Buffy just stared at him, thinking it over. What had Angel done? He had been caring, nice, concerned about her, and what had she done, yelled at him, been angry with him for no reason.  
  
She blinked, and felt a tear roll down her cheek. She didn't know what to do, she didn't know if she could do anything. And Angel, well, he probably hated her now, just because she didn't know what she wanted, how she felt, what she needed.  
  
Her gaze drifted downward, and she looked at the grass, not willing to look back up at Spike, who was studying her intently.  
  
"Buffy?" he asked, and she reluctantly looked up at him. "Are you alright, luv?"  
  
"F-fine." She lied, and stood up, just as Angel appeared from around the back of the house.  
  
"She's not here Spi-" Angel stopped when he saw Buffy, and relief flowed through him, "Buffy?"  
  
She smiled weakly at him as he walked over to her, and wrapped his arms around her, "Are you ok?"  
  
"Yeah," She said, leaning against him, happy for the warmth he provided when he had pulled her close. He sweatshirt was pretty much soaked from the constant drizzle that was finally turning into a real rain.  
  
He released her, and stood back, looking over her checking to make sure she was ok. She looked it, but she was shivering, and he thought it would be best to get her inside.  
  
"C'mon, let's go back to my house, and dry off, ok?" He asked, and she nodded, willingly allowing him to wrap his arms around her as the three of them, Spike, Angel, and herself, began to walk back to his house.  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
Buffy shivered as she sat down on Angel's bed, and looked around at his room. It was pretty good size, ad not very well lit. Angel was on one side of the room, going through some of his clothes, looking for something that she could wear.  
  
He eventually brings her over some sweat pants and a shirt, "Here, put these on, warm up, then we can talk, ok?"  
  
She nodded, and took the clothes from him. Looking up at him, she glanced downward, and he got the message.  
  
"Sorry." He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.  
  
Buffy stripped out of all the clothes that she felt were to wet to wear, and pulled on the clothes Angel had gotten for her, appreciating that they were warm and comfortable. Then folding her wet clothes, she puts them in a neat pile on the floor, and opens the door to find Angel standing patiently in the hall, waiting for her.  
  
He smiled at her, and entered the room, sitting down on the bed and motioning for her to do the same. She did, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.  
  
"Buffy?"  
  
"Yes?" She asked, already knowing what he was going to ask.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"When?" She looked up at him, making she that he understood the question wasn't asked to be cocky.  
  
"Friday night."  
  
She took a deep breath, and hesitated before answering. "I got home, and went up to my room. My father came in and started to talk to me about how he was disappointed in me, and how I should know better, and that I should have listened to him and stayed home." She paused, and he nodded, signaling that she should continue.  
  
"Then he.... He hit me." She told him, looking down.  
  
Angel tensed at the way she said the last words. He could tell she truly thought she disserved what her father had done to her. Then, even though he knew a question like this could make this situation uneasy for her, he asked, "Only once?"  
  
She didn't look up at him as she answered, "No."  
  
He could feel her shaking again, but this time he could tell it wasn't because she was cold. He tightened his hold on her, pulling her closer, as if he let go, he might never be able to hold her again, and if she might disappear forever. And, slowly, she settled down, and stopped trembling, snuggling closer to him.  
  
Angel kissed her forehead, barely noticing that he had done so, being so wrapped up in trying to comfort her. He could hear soft sobs, and knew she was crying, but he was ok with it, knowing that she needed to cry, and that it was best for her to get it out now.  
  
"Buffy?"  
  
She looked up at him, and he wiped a stray tear from her cheek.  
  
"You're going to be ok, I promise." He told her, and again, she offered him a weak smile, but did not say anything.  
  
A/N Aw... cute, isn't it? Yes, Buffy seems a bit weak, but you can't tell me how to write my story (unless you review) so you'll just have to back off. Oh, and I'm looking for a beta reader, just incase anyone is interested in helping me with my very screwed up grammar and spelling issues.  
  
Anyway, anyone else here really disappointed at how Angel ended? Too many unanswered questions! Not enough episodes, need another episode to find out what happens next. I'm sorry to say, that if there is not Sequel (or another season), and that's the last episode, it's not nice to have a cliffhanger!  
  
Bloody SunSet 


	13. Never Promise

A/N With Avril Lavigne singing in my ears, I go to start this chapter. So if you see any random song lyrics in here, um.... Sorry about that. Thanks to Orchid6297, Kari, Arobow, Celestria16, BAshipper101, skye- lark913, kitten ish, and Shayla-BA for reviewing. Oh, and kitten ish, sorry about the 'he's' that should've been 'she's', my computer is old, and the key board is kind of, well broken, so sometimes the words screw up on me, and the spell check doesn't pick up that error. And most of the time, I'm too lazy to read over it. >  
Disclaimer: Joss owns Buffy. I own a little elephant from Greece, and that is all.  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
Last Chapter Summary: Angel knows what's going on in Buffy's life, and now feels he needs to help even more, but he's not sure if Buffy will let him.  
  
**But It Feels So Right**  
  
Buffy's eyes slowly opened, and she blinked a couple of times, allowing her vision to clear. Her eyes travel around the room, and she eventually remembers were she was.  
  
Angel's House.  
  
She must have fallen asleep here yesterday, after talking to him. He had asked more questions than she had thought he would, but he had been nice about it, given her time to answer them, even though he did ask for explanations every once and a while.  
  
(((Flash Back)))  
  
"Buffy?" Angel's voice was gentle, soothing.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"How many times, I mean, how long has this been going on?" He asked, looking down at her.  
  
She thought for a moment before answering, just a little bit worried about telling him these things, "Five or Six years...."  
  
Angel blinked, obviously surprised, and terrified at her answer, and he doesn't speak for a moment. Then, as if he was trying to collect himself, he closed his eyes, and drew a breath.  
  
"Five or six years?" he repeated as a question.  
  
She nodded, and then hung her head. There was no going back now. He would probably ask her about everything. Why it started, why it was still happening, why she had let it happen. But the truth was, she didn't know the answers to these questions. All she knew, is that's the way things were.  
  
Angel looked disgusted, and angry when Buffy looked back up at him. She was confused at his reaction, not believing he really did care as much as he seemed to. He stared at her, then pulled her closer to him.  
  
"God Buffy, are you ok?"  
  
She didn't know the answer to that question either. Sure, she was ok, but was that the way he meant it, or did he mean did she feel ok? When she didn't answer, he sighed.  
  
"Buffy, can you tell me what happened, back when it started?"  
  
She shook her head, "No."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
This felt like a police investigation, the questions felt like he was reading them out of a manual, the only difference was that he cared, and Buffy knew he did, she just couldn't realize it yet.  
  
They sat in silence for a moment; Buffy's breathing was the only noise in the room. She was still a little worked up about what had been going on. The last couple of days, this conversation, everything around her was spinning, and there was only one thing that seemed to be standing still.  
  
It was Angel. He seemed to be stable, seemed to be the only thing she could hold on to, the only thing she could anchor on, that she knew would hold strong. The way he was holding her, the way he was gentle, not just in his actions, but in his words. He was treating her like she was a fragile vase, and for the millionth time in her life, that's what Buffy felt like.  
  
Then he let her go, and she looked up at him, a look of shear confusion on her face. He returned her look with one of anguish, and dejection. Buffy couldn't tell if he was upset, or disoriented by what she was telling him.  
  
"You should get some rest." He said, his voice now emotionless, "You can use my room."  
  
She nodded, "Thank you, but..."  
  
"No, it's ok, really, I can stay in my cousin's room." Angel said, but that wasn't what Buffy was concerned about.  
  
She wanted him to stay here, so she wouldn't be alone. After all those years of being nothing but the latter, she wished he would stay. But she would never ask him to; he had done too much for her already.  
  
He left the room, and Buffy laid down, her eyes wandering around the room, wondering why she was here, why this had happened today, and not before. Why all this had happened to her, but no answers came, and she soon found herself falling asleep, exhausted from the passed events.  
  
(((End Flashback)))  
  
Buffy starred up at the ceiling, thinking about how Angel had looked when she had told him some of the things that had happened to her. He had looked concerned, and angry, but she knew it wasn't with her.  
  
A small knock came from the other side of the door, and Buffy sat up, startled by the noise.  
  
"Buffy, it's me, are you awake?" Angel called from out in the hallway.  
  
She contemplated answering him. Not knowing if she should just shut her eyes and go back to sleep, and ignore him. She didn't want to do that, but she wasn't sure if she could look at him. Look at the one person in her life that actually cared, that actually wanted to help.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Can I come in?  
  
Buffy wondered why he just didn't open the door, it was his room after all, then again, Angel always did seem like a gentleman.  
  
"Sure."  
  
The door opened and Angel walked in, he looked a little bit tired, but she didn't ask why. Then he sat down on the bed. She looked at him, and then moved to sit next to him, allowing her legs to dangle over the edge of the bed.  
  
"Morning," he said, trying to smile at her.  
  
She smiled meekly at him, "Hey," she said, noticing that her voice was soft, timid even, and a little hoarse, like she had a cough.  
  
Angel also seemed to notice, but kept it to himself, "How you feeling?"  
  
"Pretty good, I guess...."  
  
"Good" He looked at her wondering how someone could go through all that, and still have a smile on their face the next day, and act like they were ok.  
  
Angel thought that Buffy would have still been like she had been last night. Unstable, helpless, but she was quite the opposite. She was acting cheerful, but he could tell she wasn't up to one hundred percent yet. And he didn't expect her to be, though she did seem to being dealing with it very well.  
  
Maybe it was because she was used to it, maybe because she didn't want to think about, Angel didn't know. He wanted to, but he couldn't ask her that again, she had barely been able to answer the same question the night before, along with many others that he was going to allow to remain unanswered for the time being.  
  
She glanced up at him, and swallowed, feeling a bit uncomfortable in the silence. Normally, quiet would have been nice, but not when both people had something to say, but neither of them wanted to say it. It felt wrong to her to just sit there, when she knew they should be talking. When she knew she should be telling him what he had asked, even if it wasn't what she wanted to do, it was something she had to do.  
  
Buffy opened her mouth, prepared to speak, but closed it quickly when Angel beat her to it.  
  
"Are you ok?" A simple question that always provoked a complicated answer.  
  
"Fine." Ok, maybe not always, at least not when lying about how you really feel.  
  
Angel looked at her, obviously not believing her answer, but he didn't meet her eyes.  
  
Buffy tilted her head, and leaned closer to him, "Angel?"  
  
He didn't look up at her, "Yeah?"  
  
"Are _you_ ok?" she asked, hoping she hadn't gotten him in a bad mood just being there.  
  
"Fine." Again, the answer was always short when you lie.  
  
Buffy tentatively reached her hand forward, and placed it on his cheek. His head moved and he looked into her eyes.  
  
"Angel, I'm ok, really. Please stop worrying."  
  
"I'm not-"  
  
"Yes you are, and I don't want you to, I've gotten through this before. I never should have dragged you into it...."  
  
He blinked, then shook his head, "Buffy, you didn't drag me into it, if anything I jumped in front of the moving train. I got myself into what ever's going on in your life, and you can't stop me from trying to help you."  
  
Buffy was silent, she didn't know what to say. No one had ever said anything like that to her before, not even the people she had though cared about her.  
  
"Angel...." It was all she could say, and now more than ever, she could see that he cared, but she didn't think she deserved it.  
  
His hand met hers on his cheek, and he smiled at her, "I'm going to help you get through this Buffy, I wont let anything happen to you again."  
  
She glanced down, not believing this was really happening, not believing it could happen. It was impossible for anyone to help her. The police couldn't, the DSS hadn't even helped, because no one outside her family knew the real story. No one but Angel. He knew, and he wanted to change it, change al the wrong she had come to accept as right, and it didn't seem real.  
  
"Buffy, I promise."  
  
Again, those three words, she had heard that before, and not just from him. He father had told her that, and then gone back on his word, gone back on her trust. Those words never led to anything that mattered. She looked up at him.  
  
"Don't promise."  
  
He looked at her confused, then nodded, as if he understood, though Buffy doubted he really did, and she doubted anyone ever would.  
  
A/N So sorry for the late update, I'm literally going crazy here. I had to rewrite this like five times before it made sense, and it still doesn't, and it's a little bit weird to real. Very emotional, I think. I don't know, I haven't read it over yet, and I probable wont until people start to tell me what I'm doing wrong. They seem to do that a lot, they never tell me what I'm doing right. Anyway, again sorry about the late update, and sorry that the next chapter may take just as long, seeing as I kind of ran myself into a corner here....  
  
Bloody SunSet 


	14. Dreaming Reality

A/N Chapter fourteen, wow, this is cool, and if you couldn't tell, I finally got the bolds and stuff to work, go me. That's really all I have to say.... For now....  
  
Thank you to Orchid6297, b/a always, and skye-lark913, crazynarco, gffdg, and Katie for reviewing.   
  
Disclaimer: If I could change the world, I would. But I can't, so I can't.  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
Last Chapter Summary: I think I'm going to stop putting this in here, but Angel and Buffy talked.... Again. Stuff happened, I'm lazy, on to chapter fourteen!  
  
**But It Feels So Right**  
  
_It was quiet around her. The world seemed to have stopped spinning, and she knew something was wrong. Time seemed to have stopped around her. People were frozen in place, stuck in time. Then everything sped up again, and everyone went back to doing whatever it was they had been doing, as if nothing had happened.  
  
Buffy shook her head, and looked around. She was in a crowded room, but she didn't recognize anyone there. And everything seemed blurry, different somehow, but she could tell why. The strange mist that had now settled in her mind was becoming thicker, and she was becoming more confused.  
  
Making her way through the crowd, Buffy bumps into what seems like every person in the room, but none of them seem to notice, seems to care. It's as if she's invisible, unseen to anyone around her.  
  
She opened a door when she reached the wall, and suddenly finds herself in her bedroom. She shook her head again, trying to clear it, and then laid down on the bed. Her eyes close momentarily, then snap open when the door flies open, and bangs against the wall.  
  
A tall, shadowy figure stood in the doorframe, darkened only by the fact that the lights in the room had suddenly turned off. The lights from the hall shone into the room from behind the man, making him appear to glow.  
  
Buffy's eyes widened, and she pulled the blankets close around herself, and pushed herself against the headboard, trying to make herself as small as possible, trying to hide from the man in the room.  
  
She bit her bottom lip as the man began to approach her. He moved slowly, as if trying to scare her, and it was working. She knew her lip was bleeding, but couldn't feel her teeth break the skin, couldn't taste the blood that came from her lip. She closed her eyes, but only for a second, and when she reopened them, the man was in front of her, and all she could do was scream._  
  
(:::)  
  
Buffy's eyes snapped open, and she took a deep, shaky breath, that was followed by countless others as she tried to make sense of her dream.  
  
It had felt so real. Like past, present and future all combined into one, but it hadn't made all that much sense in the beginning. Who were all those people? Some of them looked familiar, but others she just couldn't place, and she didn't know when she had met them, if she ever had.  
  
And the end, it had felt the most real, and she knew why. It had happened before, unlike all the other events that had been thrown randomly into place while she slept, this one was real. The fear, and anxiety, she had felt those before, those were the feelings that kept her awake some nights, and made her fall asleep on others.  
  
She lets her eyes fall closed for a second, but then opens them again quickly, finding that the images that had plagued her dream were yet to leave her mind.  
  
The she heard something, the faint sound of breathing. And tight embrace of another's arm on her waist had become apparent to her. A groan, and a small movement confirmed what she had been thinking. She wasn't alone.  
  
But she wasn't over come with fear, instead, she felt relieved that someone was there. Relieved that someone had watched over her while she slept, until they too had fallen asleep.  
  
She sighed softly, then yawned, tired from the dream, and from all the thinking she had been doing trying to convince herself that it was just that, a dream, and that's all it was.  
  
The arm around her waist being removed followed another groan from behind her, and the bed to moved as someone sat up quickly.  
  
Buffy could feel eyes on her, watching her intently, waiting for her to do something, so she did. Rolling over, she looked up at Angel, who was in fact staring down at her, seemingly very confused.  
  
She smiled nervously up at him. He seemed to relax a little, as the memories of the night before flooded into his mind, but he didn't smile back at her.  
  
"How'd you sleep?" he asked as she sat up.  
  
"Pretty good."  
  
"Could've fooled me."  
  
She looked at him confused, then he reached his hand up to her face, and brushed a stray tear from her cheek. When she didn't reply he spoke.  
  
"Want to talk about it?"  
  
"No." She said, a bit to quickly for her own liking, "I mean, not really...."  
  
He looked at her strangely then lowered his hand. "Alright." He said, not wanting to pry.  
  
They sat in silence for a second until Buffy spoke up.  
  
"So, exactly what happened last night?" She asked, referring to their current situation of being in the same bed together.  
  
"Well, you told me not to go.... So, I didn't...."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"No problem."  
  
Again the silence, it was if the world wanted this to be even more awkward for them than it was already. Last night, no real problems, Buffy had spent the day before inside, and since it was driving Angel insane, he had gone upstairs to check on her around nine thirty. He had found her wide-awake, mumbling to herself, but he hadn't asked about what, and she had looked quite surprised when he had just opened the door.  
  
They had talked a bit, mostly about what Angel had done all day, and why she hadn't wanted to come down stairs. Then she had asked him to stay for a while, and he had, not knowing that he would fall asleep while watching over her. And waking up next to a girl was just a little awkward in this case.  
  
Which brought him back to the now, what were they going to do now? She probably didn't want to leave the room again, and Angel wasn't ready to force her to, and there was a talk that would soon come up that he really didn't want to have with her. About what they were going to do about her parents, and how she when she was going to go home.  
  
It wasn't that Angel didn't want her there; it was that she really couldn't stay here for the rest of her life, even if she wanted to. One, his parents didn't know she was here yet, and two, he wasn't sure if they would approve of him having a girl in his room.  
  
Then again, his parents were pretty understanding, maybe they could help, but Buffy probably didn't want to get them involved. She really wanted to keep this all to herself, and just forget it all happened, even though she knew that wasn't an option anymore.  
  
"How about we go outside, do something?" he asked, standing up.  
  
"I don't know, I just don't really feel like going outside."  
  
"Well at least come downstairs for a little while, get out of this room for a bit, clear you head maybe?"  
  
She was about to refuse, but decided she probably should get out of his room for a little bit, maybe even eat something, even though she wasn't hungry.  
  
"Sure."  
  
He smiled, and she stood up, both making their way out of the room, and into the hallway, and down the stairs.  
  
Buffy had really only seen this house once, and it looked a lot better when you weren't huddled against someone's chest, scared to death. There were a lot of paintings hung on the walls that looked really old, and the windows all had dark curtains to accompany them.  
  
Most of the rugs were blood red or a very dark color, but she was sure she had seen a light blue one in the bathroom before. The walls were a tinted white color that contrasted with almost everything that filled the house, and everything looked old, like some kind of antique shop or something.  
  
Buffy shrugged off the weird feeling that she got when she looked at this one door in particular that just stuck out. It was black wood, covered in all sorts of carved patterns; one that really stuck out were the flowers, snaking up the sides, and along the top of the door. She would've stopped to take a good look at it, if Angel hadn't been pulling her passed it.  
  
He finally let go of her hand and let her stop in the kitchen. She looked around, this room was brighter than all the rest, the windows didn't have curtains, and the walls looked newly painted.  
  
"You hungry?" he asked, looking over at her.  
  
"No," she replied, sitting down.  
  
"But you haven't eaten in a while, you really should have something." He insisted.  
  
"Angel, I'm fine, and I'm just not hungry."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yes, I'm positive."  
  
"Ok." He grabbed himself a banana, and sat down at the counter on a stool, Buffy sat down next to him.  
  
"So, what do you want to do today?" He asked, hoping she wouldn't just want to sit inside and mope all day long.  
  
"I was kind of hoping we could just stay here...."  
  
"All day, but it's sunny outside, and really warm, we can't just sit inside."  
  
"I know, I just really don't want to go outside yet...."  
  
"How about we head down to the lake, there'll be no one there because everyone that would be there is at school, or working. It's Tuesday, remember?"  
  
She looked at him, "Maybe later, let's just hang here today, ok?"  
  
"Fine, but you have to go outside today, I wont let you stay in my room for the rest of the day." He said, finishing the banana and threw the peel in the garbage.  
  
"Alright Mr. Bossy, I'll go outside.... Later." She replied, laying her head on the table.  
  
He sighed, and stood up, "Fine, but don't put it off too long, or my parents and Spike will come home."  
  
"Where is Spike anyway?" she asked, looking up at him.  
  
"I don't know, he took off this morning I guess, all I know is that he's probably no where near the school."  
  
"He's lucky."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"He's not forced to go to school."  
  
"Yeah, but you're getting a little break here, so enjoy it while you can."  
  
She nodded, and yawned. For some odd reason she was still tired, maybe she had fallen asleep a little later than she thought she had. Oh well, it didn't matter now, she was awake and she didn't want to go back to sleep.  
  
A/N Hullo, um... yeah, I know, I suck. It should be longer, but it's not, get over it. Anyway, I'm being bugged to get off the computer, so I figure I'm just going to just sit here and maybe start the next chapter if you guys are lucky. Please _Review!_  
  
Bloody SunSet 


	15. Stepping Outside

A/N Look, I took out the last chapter summary thing, be cause I'm lazy. Heh. Go me. Oh, and check this, I have sixty reviews for this story. You guys don't know how cool that is for me....  
  
Thank you to Kel, crazynarco, Katie, Tariq and Samhain Vampiress for reviewing. Oh and Tariq, you can't ask me what I can do to make the story better, if I don't know what you're implying by that.... I'm just saying....  
  
Disclaimer: It's chapter 15, and you people still need me to be telling you that I don't own any of it. Have you heard nothing I have been saying for the last 14 chapters?  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
**But It Feels So Right**  
  
Buffy closed her eyes, she hadn't felt like doing anything but thinking (sort-of), for hours, and she knew Angel wouldn't get off her back until she ate something, considering she had had less than a meal over the last two days. She just didn't feel like eating, was that a crime, or a rule of some sort, because it sure seemed like it was in this house.  
  
She sighed, and opened her eyes, staring up at the sky. Angel had dragged her outside and she had ended up lying down in the grass, arms and legs spread out, looking skyward, think about things she really didn't want to be thinking about.  
  
Like what her parents would say when she came home after whatever time period she spent here, or what they were going to do. She really couldn't say how she thought they would react; it'd probably just be like it always. And then there was how Willow and Xander would react to her and Angel not being in school for the last three and a half days. Willow would probably be giving her the sympathy routine, and Xander would keep asking what they were doing, constantly, just to make sure she told him the truth, about everything. He was over protective like that sometimes.  
  
Squinting because the sun decided it wanted to change positions, she sat up, and looked around. Where was Angel? He always did that. Snuck off in the other direction when you weren't looking.  
  
"Angel?" she called, knowing enough to look over at the sliding glass door that lead to the kitchen.  
  
Sure enough, his head popped into view, "What?"  
  
She smiled, "C'mon out, you made me come out here, and I'm not going to sit here alone all day."  
  
"Right, one second." He said, fully disappearing into the house once again.  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes, and laid back down in the grass, watching as a cloud passed over her head. She blinked a couple of times, then the sun came back into view. She sat up again, and saw Angel coming outside, carrying a big, red, plastic bowl. She wasn't sure what was in it, but she guessed what ever it was, they were going to share it.  
  
"Whatcha got there?" she asked, standing up.  
  
"Food."  
  
"What kind of food?"  
  
"Fruit, why, I thought you said you weren't hungry."  
  
"I changed my mind." She said, grabbing a grape out of the bowl. "So, what do you want to do today?"  
  
"What ever you want to do." He said, sitting down, placing the bowl on the ground in front of him.  
  
Buffy sat down again, "I though you said you would rather not sit around all day and do nothing. And that was followed by some whining about going to a lake."  
  
Angel smirked, "Well, since you mentioned it.... How about we head down there, feed the ducks or something?"  
  
Buffy raised her eyebrows, "Feed the ducks?"  
  
"Or we could swim, what ever...."  
  
"Sounds like fun, count me in." She said, grabbing another grape.  
  
"What sounds like fun?" Spike asked, coming up behind Buffy, and startling her with his sudden appearance.  
  
"Nothing Spike, go away." Angel said, glaring at his cousin.  
  
"No really, I want to know, It's boring 'round here, figure if I can just get out of here for a little while, I can keep my sanity."  
  
Buffy turned around to look at Spike, just as Angel was going to answer him, and probably start another fight between the two of them. Buffy wouldn't understand what was going on with these two, one second they were best friends, the next mortal enemies.  
  
"We're going down to the lake, why don't join us?" she asked, knowing Angel was going to complain about this later, but she didn't care, Spike was nice, and he deserved to come along, as long as he didn't bother her and Angel while they were there.  
  
"See peaches, why can't you just be nice like Buffy is? We'd get along so much better." He said before turning and walking back into the house.  
  
Angel looked at Buffy as she turned back to him, "What did you do that for?"  
  
"What did I do what for?"  
  
"Why'd you invite him along?"  
  
"Because it's nice, and besides, he wont bother us, he probably wont even come."  
  
"Right, keep telling yourself that. This is my cousin we're talking about here, we are going to be bothered by him all day."  
  
Buffy shrugged, "Well, you'll just have to get over it."  
  
Angel sighed, "Are you trying to get on my nerves or something?" he asked, sounding a little annoyed.  
  
Buffy smiled playfully, "Maybe, why? Is it working?"  
  
"A little too well."  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
Buffy looked out over the water of the lake Angel had brought her to. She had never been here before, and was wondering why a place like this wasn't more crowded.  
  
The small sand beach at the lake stretched only a few yards down the water line, and was shaded by tall pine trees. Trees surrounded the rest of the lake closely and it seemed as if maybe someone might have made this little area of beach.  
  
She stepped out onto the sand to maybe get a better look around, but she didn't notice anything she hadn't already seen.  
  
Angel came up behind her, and laid a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump. He chuckled, "It's only me."  
  
She turned to face him, and offered a sheepish smile, "Sorry..."  
  
"For what, I wasn't aware you did anything."  
  
She smiled at him, and once again turned to look at the lake, wondering why she had never known about it before. She had lived in Sunnydale for at least three or so years, and never even heard of this beach.  
  
"You know, it's weird." She said, "That you can go on living, and not know that somewhere like this exists...."  
  
Angel wrapped his arms around her waist, "Well, it's a pretty secluded area, not many people come out here. And if they do, it's normally at night.... Everyone in this town's to busy to take notice to anything around them...."  
  
She leaned against him, relaxing in his arms, and closed her eyes. "'To busy to see the beauty around them.'" She whispered.  
  
Angel rested his chin on her shoulder, "That sounds familiar, where'd you hear it?"  
  
"I don't know.... It may be something Mr. Giles mentioned in class that stuck." She shrugged and opened her eyes again, moving her head to look at him.  
  
"Maybe." He smiled gently at her, his dark brown eyes losing themselves in her green ones.  
  
Buffy blinked, but it wasn't enough to break the trance the two of them seemed to be in. She timidly leaned closer, her eyes lightly falling shut, and allowed her lips to brush softly over his.  
  
When she drew back, as slowly as she had leaned in, their noses touched, and her eyes opened. She noticed that Angel's eyes were closed, and when they fluttered open, he smiled at her again.  
  
A small blush crept across her cheeks when she realize what she had just done, but she wasn't blushing in embarrassment, she couldn't exactly say why she was blushing in the first place.  
  
"Angel...."  
  
"Shh...."  
  
He leaned forward and lightly pressed his lips to hers once more, and Buffy felt as if she would just melt away in his arms. She'd never been kissed like that before, never so sweetly, it was never this loving, not until Angel.  
  
She turned herself around in his arms, when he broke the kiss, so she was facing him. Buffy felt herself smile at him, then let her head rest on his chest.  
  
Angel blinked; in her face he had seen trust, and something that surprised him. Love. He had seen love in her eyes, and he believed in it. Believed that he was feeling what she was feeling, if her emotions were what was in her eyes.  
  
He rested his chin lightly on her head, as he felt her arms move under his, and wrap themselves around his waist. He heard her sigh contently, and again smiled, only this time it was to himself.  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
Angel and Buffy walked hand and hand down the street, heading back to his house, Buffy leaning on him slightly. They had stayed in each other's arms for quite sometime, and neither had noticed how quickly time went by. They had been to concentrated on seeing how long it was possible to go without saying anything, yet still knowing what the other was thinking.  
  
Buffy looked up at Angel as they neared his house, with a sudden questionable look on her face. "Angel?"  
  
He looked down at her, "Hm....?"  
  
"A-are your parents going to be home?"  
  
Angel stopped, and blinked. He had forgotten about his parents, they were probably home right now, and how was he going to explain Buffy to them. They didn't even know she had spent the couple of nights there before. They could try to sneak up to his room, but if they got caught, Angel would be in big trouble. And there would be questions.  
  
Who is she? What are you going to be doing? When's she going home? What's going on here?  
  
He didn't know if he could answer some of them, and what if they figured out she had been here for the last couple of days? What was he going to tell them, exactly what Buffy didn't want anyone to know, the truth about her situation? How her parents didn't even know she was there, and ho she didn't want to go home? He was pretty sure his parents wouldn't understand any of it, even if it was explained fully. They would tell him to take her home immediately, and give him a lecture about how they would feel if he just up and left with out telling them.  
  
Buffy looked up at him, still awaiting his answer, hoping that it would be ok, and that if his parents were there that they would understand, though that wasn't very likely. Parents couldn't understand their children, and often misread them, and in Buffy's situation, abused them.  
  
Angel took a deep breath, "They're home, or at least my dad is, I'm not sure if Nancy will be back yet." He said, and Buffy looked confused for a second. Who called their mother by her first name?  
  
Seeing Buffy's confused look, Angel tried to explain, but he didn't really understand, "She's a nurse, sometimes she works late."  
  
"You called her Nancy."  
  
Angel blinked, and gave her that look that said 'Yeah, so?' then he got her meaning, "She's my step mom, my mother died when I was nine." He said, looking at the ground.  
  
"Oh.... Sorry...."  
  
"It's ok, she's in a better place now." He said, though his voice was filled with sorrow.  
  
Buffy squeezed his hand trying to show some support, and he looked back up at her, "C'mon, let's get inside now." He said, changing the subject, Buffy nodded.  
  
Angel opened the door, and looked around, then pulled Buffy inside with him, closing the door softly behind him.  
  
"Angel, is that you?" His father's voice.  
  
Angel silently cursed, and mouthed a 'stay here' to Buffy.  
  
"Yeah dad?" He asked, entering the room his father was in.  
  
"Where were you today?" When Angel didn't answer, his father began to speak again. "I got a call from the school today, they said you haven't been in there in the last couple of days."  
  
Again, silence from Angel, and his father looked at him expectantly a little bit of concern in his gaze.  
  
"You haven't been skipping with that Darla girl again, have you?" he asked.  
  
Angel's eyes darkened, "No. I-I was showing Spike around some more, he wanted to get out, and I ended up not going to school."  
  
Angel's father looked at him, "Right, well, don't be missing any more school."  
  
"I'm sorry sir, it won't happen again."  
  
"And you will be attending school tomorrow, and leave Spike at home, if he wants to get out, he can take your car. He's been here for a month or to, he should know the town well enough.  
  
Angel sighed, "Yes Sir." He turned to leave, but his father's words stopped him.  
  
"Son?"  
  
Angel turned to face his father again, and his eyes widening when he saw what he was now holding.  
  
"Whom exactly do these belong to?" he asked, holding up an outfit of women's clothing that Angel knew were Buffy's, "I found them in your room."  
  
A/N Um... hehehe sorry about this, but I just have to end it with that to get all of you mad, ok?  
  
Bloody SunSet 


	16. The Dreaded Place I Call Home

A/N Yay for reviews, I got reviews. I'm really happy 'cause I got reviews! Oh and just for the record, this chapter is going to be a little dark.... And a little violent, just a warning....  
  
A special thank you to blip-dragon, Katie, buffynangelforever, and miss- ange for reviewing the last chapter.   
  
Disclaimer: I refuse to say this any longer....  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
But It Feels So Right  
  
Angel's father held Buffy's clothes in his hands, and Angel didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell him about Buffy, not now.  
  
"Th-they're Darla's sir." He lied; trying to sound nervous hoping his father would buy it. "I was planning to give them back to her tomorrow."  
  
His father didn't know that he had never had sex with Darla; he probably didn't even know she had never set foot in Angel's bedroom before, let alone this house, but right now, Angel didn't really care, he would let his father believe what he wanted to believe.  
  
His father sighed, "Right, see to that." He said, handing the clothes to Angel, and dismissing his son, looking quite disappointed in him.  
  
Angel took the clothes, and trying to look relieved, headed back out to the front hall, expecting to see Buffy there, but when he didn't he panicked again. Then he decided that she probably went up stairs to his room, she was smart, maybe she was waiting for him up there.  
  
He ran up the stairs, then walked down the rest of the hall to his room. Opening the door, he saw Buffy sitting on his bed, looking as though she was waiting hours for that door to open.  
  
She sighed in relief when she saw it was Angel who had come in, and stood up.  
  
"What did your father want?" she asked, walking over to him.  
  
Angel closed the and held her clothes out to her, "He found your clothes in my room, and started asking questions." He started to explain, and Buffy paled.  
  
"He doesn't know I'm here, does he?" She asked, interrupting Angel's explanation.  
  
"No, I told him they were Darla's and he seemed to buy it. I guess I'll have to be more careful, maybe put these in my dresser where he wont go snooping. And Buffy?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You know you will have to go home sometime...." He said, hating that he had to bring this up, and knowing that she didn't want to hear it.  
  
Buffy looked down, "Yeah, I know.... I just don't think I'm ready yet...."  
  
"We can wait until you're ready...." He assured her, but she didn't perk up.  
  
"But the longer I wait to go home, the more angry my father's going to be at me." She said, "I think it would be best if I just returned home tonight."  
  
Angel could hear a small amount of fear in her voice as she spoke. The same fear he had been trying to get rid of the first night she had spent here. But he also thought she sounded brave, especially for someone who had a home like she did.  
  
"If you feel you can, I wont stop you, but.... If he gives you any trouble, I want you to call me right away. No ifs, ands, or buts about that, got it?" He said, holding her clothes out for her to take.  
  
She nodded, and took her clothes from him, "Should we go now, or wait until later?" she asked, looking up at him.  
  
"When ever you want." He said.  
  
She took a deep breath, and blinked a couple of times, then moved towards the door, "Let's go now, it's getting dark if we're going to go, it should be now." Buffy said, though she really didn't want to go. She wanted to stay with Angel, but she couldn't do that, not forever at least.  
  
He nodded at her, and opened the door, only to see his father on the other side. Taken by surprise, Angel looks up at his dad.  
  
"Yes sir?" he asked, wondering if his father had been eavesdropping.  
  
"Who are you talking to in there son?"  
  
"A friend, I was just about to take them home." Angel told his father, wondering why he seemed so interested in what he was doing all of a sudden.  
  
His father looked at him suspiciously, then nodded, "Tell Darla I said 'hello.' He said and walked down the hall.  
  
Angel blinked, his father thought Darla was here, well, it was better than him knowing Buffy was here, even though she was leaving. His father had always thought highly of Darla. She was rich, pretty; everything his father thought Angel needed in a girl, and Angel doubted that his father would approve of Buffy.  
  
She was a lot different than Darla. Hanging out with the kids who seemed to be arrested every other day, and burning the school's flag was not what Angel's father saw to be proper upbringing for a girl. His father was weird like that, of course, Angel's grandfather was the same way with him, so it was probably a family thing. One family thing Angel hoped he never picked up.  
  
Angel ushered Buffy out of his room, and they walked down the hallway together in silence. When they reached the front door, Angel opened it for her, and the walked out to his car. Buffy got in, and waited for him to start the engine before she spoke.  
  
"Angel, will you wait outside for a second before you go?" she asked, looking over at him.  
  
"Sure, if you want me to."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Angel could tell she really didn't want to do this, and he would've said something if she hadn't seemed so important that she go through with it. And plus, he was sure that is she didn't go home now, there would be a Missing Person statement out in a couple of days.  
  
Buffy was staring at her lap for the entire car ride, dreading the moment when the car would stop, and she would have to face her father.  
  
Hank Summers was not one of the nicest men on the Earth, nor was he one of the weakest. In fact, compared to Buffy, he was quite strong, and for some reason he felt the need to show her this every time he thought she did something wrong.  
  
Joyce Summers on the other hand was a loving mother, the only problem was that she was afraid of her husband as much as her daughter was, and could do nothing about what was happening. But countless times Joyce had let Hank get away with these things, and not done anything about it. It had been a concerned teacher who had consulted Buffy, and after not getting any info from her, had called Social Services.  
  
A representative had come to their home, but everything had seemed normal and she had ended up leaving with out making any notes of any kind. And they hadn't heard back from social services for a while, until a neighbor had called SS because she had seen some of Buffy's bruises. Again nothing had been done, and Buffy's father had moved the family to Sunnydale to prevent any more confrontation, and of course because Buffy had been expelled due to her burning down the gym.  
  
Angel looked over at Buffy as he stopped, and turned off the car. He wondered if she was going to be ok going in there alone. He was contemplating asking her if she wanted him to come when the car door opened and she got out on the car.  
  
"Thanks for the ride Angel, I'll probably see you at school tomorrow, but if I don't, I'll be there on Friday, ok?" she asked, attempting to stall her entry to the house.  
  
"Yeah, see you then I guess." He said, and she turned to make her way up the front walk, Angel waiting until she opened the door before turning on the car. But he didn't leave, waiting like he said he would, in the street in front of her house.  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
Buffy slowly entered her house, and looked around for her mother. She wasn't there at the moment, however, alerted by the front door opening; her father had come into the front hall.  
  
She looked at him fearfully, noticing how the room became tense as soon as he entered.  
  
Hank blinked at first, then felt his anger rising.  
  
"And where do you think you've been for the last three days little lady?" he asked, freely allowing his anger to be heard in his voice.  
  
Buffy swallowed hard, "W-with Faith-and Pike...." She said. It was not exactly lying, but she couldn't tell him she had been staying with Angel, it would get her in more trouble.  
  
"Those two trouble makers? I should have known, and you should've know not to leave this house with out my permission." He said, his voice becoming eerily calm. Buffy didn't like the sound of it.  
  
She didn't say anything, just looked down at her hands, noticing she had her clothes in her hands. A feeling of panic rushed through her when she realized she was still wearing Angel's clothes, and she tried not to let that feeling show.  
  
"And not only did you leave this house without my permission, you skipped out of school for the past three days." He added, his voice now beginning to rise.  
  
Buffy knew what was coming next, the part that hurt, the part where she would be called curse names, and hit because she was nothing to him. And her mother would just watch with an unreadable expression on her face, that was, if her mother had been there.  
  
"You are a stupid bitch aren't you?" her father asked, taking his belt off. "A stupid little bitch who's ungrateful for everything I've given her." He held his belt like a whip, and Buffy mentally cringed, trying not to show her father how scared she really was.  
  
"Never do what you're told," He began to advance on her, and Buffy shut her eyes tight, "Always sneaking off to be with those annoying assholes you call your friends. You know they don't care about you. They pity you because you're a stupid, whore."  
  
He raised his arm, and brought the belt down across Buffy's left shoulder. She cried out in pain, and dropped her clothes to the floor, grabbing at the spot the belt hand hit, as if that would stop the pain.  
  
"A worthless, ungrateful whore Buffy, that's what you are." He brought the belt down again, and it hit her across the face.  
  
Buffy collapsed to the floor, tears now spilling from her tightly shut eyes. She whimpered in pain as apposed to crying out, and held one hand over her right eye.  
  
Hank looked down at her, disgusted. "You see Buffy, you're weak, nothing in this world, but a weak bitch." He let the insult sink in before raising his hand once more, and letting the whip come down once more over her shoulder.  
  
Buffy screamed, and it didn't go unnoticed. Outside Angel was still waiting, only now he wasn't sitting in his car, he was running towards the door. He had waited outside for about five minutes before he had heard the first cry, and that had made him get out of his car. And before he was half way up the walkway, he had heard her scream.  
  
He quickly sprinted to the front door, fearful for Buffy, and angry at himself for not going in with her, for letting her leave his house in the first place. The door burst open, and Angel ran in. He was expecting the worst, and when he looked around, shocked at what he saw, believing it was worse than what he had thought was going on.  
  
A/N no comment....  
  
Bloody SunSet 


	17. Help From An Angel

A/N Still no comment... except for, thank you to mz.sarJe, Anna, skye- lark913, liz, tori, Tariq, sandy-eco, and melluvben for reviewing  
  
Disclaimer: ....I don't own it....  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
**But It Feels So Right**  
  
Buffy's father froze, his belt in his hand, and his hand held high. He lowered his arm, and looked at Angel, seeing the look of pure disbelief on the boy's face. Hank Summers smirked, and then smiled evilly at Angel.  
  
"So, you're the new one this whore's been screwing then?" he asked angrily.  
  
Angel blinked, still stunned by what was going on. He glanced at Buffy, she had pressed herself up against the wall, and had her arms up, protectively over her head. He could hear her whimpering, and sobbing, and it was too much for him. He turned back to Mr. Summers, glaring fiercely.  
  
"Well boy?" Hank asked as if he thought Angel should be in the same position Buffy was in for making him have to stop.  
  
"She's not a whore." Angel said, trying to stay calm, even though it wasn't working very well.  
  
"Right, and you're, what, the king of Scotland?" Hank said, chuckling at his own joke.  
  
Angel's hands tightened into balls and became fists; it was all he could do not to attack this man for what he had done to Buffy, and that was getting harder as he thought of how this had happened so many times before.  
  
Hank smirked again, "Well, what do you know, maybe he is the king of Scotland. And maybe she's your dirty whore." Hank said, referring to Buffy who had decided to look up, hearing her name.  
  
Angel glanced at Buffy, and gritted his teeth, his anger was quickly increasing, now that he knew she was badly hurt.  
  
She had a large bruise that was just beginning to show over her eye, and tears streaming down her face. Her breathing was rapid, and offbeat, as if she'd been held under water. Her face was flushed, and her eyes were red from crying, and from the hit she'd taken to the head from her father's belt.  
  
"Angel...." She whispered, not believing he was really there.  
  
Angel wanted nothing more than to go, hold her and tell her everything would be ok, that Hank wouldn't hurt her anymore, but before he could do that, he had to get rid of Hank.  
  
"Shut up. I wasn't talking with you, now was I." The comment was directed at Buffy, and she flinched at the words before quickly hiding her face once more.  
  
Angel tore his eyes from Buffy, to glare at Mr. Summers, now unable to contain his anger. He stepped forward, and flung his fist at Hank's face. It connected with his cheek, and he stumbled backward.  
  
But recovering quickly, Hank rammed his own fist into Angel's nose, and there wasn't one person in the room who didn't hear it snap. And before Angel could respond, he punched him in the stomach.  
  
Grabbing at his stomach, Angel looked up at Mr. Summers, blood dripping out of his nose. He wiped it off, as if it was nothing, and smashed him in the face again. Mr. Summers stumbled backwards and tripped over stairs, falling backward, and tumbling to the floor.  
  
He glared up at Angel, and made a move to get up, but Angel stepped on his chest and held him down, delivering a few blows with his heel to make sure Hank would stay down before he looked over at Buffy again.  
  
She had moved herself into the corner, and huddled close to the wall, afraid to watch what was happening. Angel glanced at Hank once more, before removing his foot from his chest, and going over to Buffy.  
  
He knelt down next to her, and reached out to touch her arm. She flinched, but didn't pull away, knowing he wasn't going to hurt her.  
  
Angel slowly pulled her into an embrace, and she began to cry again, trembling in his embrace.  
  
"Angel.... I'm sorry...." She said in between sobs, looking up at him.  
  
He looked down at her in disbelief, "Buffy, there's nothing to be sorry about."  
  
"Your nose...." She started.  
  
"Will heal, and you're ok, aren't you?" he asked.  
  
She nodded and moved closer to him, laying her head on his chest, calming down a little bit just knowing he was there.  
  
Angel stroked her hair, and kissed her forehead, shushing her quietly. He wondered how Mr. Summers could do that to his own daughter. And call a beautiful girl like this whore, or make her feel as if she were nothing. He sighed, thinking about how stupid people could be, how cruel and evil some people really were, and how the most innocent people of all were normally the victims.  
  
Buffy stopped crying, and looked up at him, hearing something. Angel heard it too, police sirens, and it wasn't to long before they could see the flashing lights of the cop cars. The neighbors must have heard something.  
  
Four doors slammed, and footsteps were heard as four men made their way up the walkway and into the house. One of them immediately went over to Hank, looking him over, while the other three approached Buffy and Angel.  
  
Angel met the eyes of the cops recognizing him instantly as one of the cops that hung around the school sometimes, while Buffy just hid herself in Angel's arms, feeling ashamed of herself.  
  
"You mind telling me what's going on here, son?" The cop asked, crouching down to eyes level with the teens.  
  
"He," Angel nodded towards Hank, who was slowly getting up with the help of another cop, "was beating his daughter, and I stopped it."  
  
The cop nodded, and hesitantly dropped his gaze to look at Buffy, huddled in Angel's arms, "Is that right, young lady?" he asked.  
  
Buffy didn't respond, she didn't even turn to look at the man, not wanting to talk to anyone now.  
  
He sighed and nodded; he knew that that Angel was telling the truth and that he was a good guy who rarely got into trouble from working at the school. He also knew that Buffy didn't want to talk about what had happened at that moment in time. Though he knew she would have to eventually if she wanted to press charges against her father for attacking her like he did.  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
Angel had talked to the police for about a half an hour before they had finally decided to leave him and Buffy alone. Hank had been taken to the hospital with minor injuries, but Angel kept insisting that he, himself was fine, and didn't need to get his nose looked at, even though it hurt like hell. He had been more concerned about Buffy needed to go to the hospital with all the bruises that she had, but she had shook her head, reluctant to go along side her father in the emergence vehicle.  
  
Buffy had also been asked a lot of questions, but she had remained silent the entire time, to tired, hurt, and confused to answer any of them. Except for one.  
  
Where would she be staying?  
  
She had immediately said, "Angel's." then looked up at him for support, he had nodded, and the police had decided to leave them alone.  
  
Angel had been worried about Buffy all night; she hadn't even spoken to him, let alone anyone else. He could understand she was a little traumatized, but she could at least answer him when he asked if she was ok or not. She seemed as if she was trying to cut herself off from the world, not talking, barely even responding to him when he had taken her to his house, after getting a few of her things.  
  
It was now getting late, and Buffy, though she hadn't spoken, had insisted on helping Angel clean up his face.  
  
She took a small washcloth from the bathroom, and a cup of warm water, and went unto Angel's room. Sitting down n the bed next to him, she raised the damp cloth up to his nose, and gently cleaned off the blood that had dried there. Angel winced, but quickly covered it up so she would think she had hurt him.  
  
She rinsed the cloth in the cup, and finished wiping his face off. Though Angel's nose had been damaged, it hadn't broken like he thought it had when he had heard it snap earlier that night.  
  
He smiled at her when she finished, and she allowed a small smile to appear on her face for the first time that night.  
  
"He took the cloth and cup from her hands and put them on the night stand, then he took her hands in hiss, and looked into her eyes.  
  
"Buffy?"  
  
She nodded in response, still not feeling up to speaking yet.  
  
"Are you ok?"  
  
Buffy almost sighed, that was the hundredth time he had asked her that tonight, but instead, she just nodded.  
  
"Why wont you talk to me, Buffy? Did I do something?" he asked.  
  
She shook her head, and looked down. He cupped her chin in his hand and made her look up at him again, "Then what's wrong? Why aren't you talking?"  
  
"I-I don't know...." She said, biting her lip.  
  
Angel felt relief wash over him at the words. Even though the answer wasn't what he needed to hear right now, the words were, she had spoken, and that's all he had wanted.  
  
He nodded at her, and let his hand fall from her face, she moved to sit next to him, and let her head rest on his chest.  
  
Buffy closed her eyes, wishing that this day had never happened that she could start over from the beginning, and know what was going to happen. Prevent Angel from ever getting involved with her life, because it had caused him pain, caused him to suffer, for her, and she didn't want that. She didn't want him to be hurt because of her, and she certainly didn't want this to even happen again.  
  
Angel sighed, and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close to him, feeling the need to protect her tonight, more than he had before. Sure, this whole situation was confusing, but he didn't care at the moment all that mattered to him, was that she was safe, and that she could rest.  
  
He looked down at her and sees she had fallen asleep. He carefully laid her down on his bed, and pulled a blanket over her. Kissing her forehead, he turned and began to leave the room, when she called after him.  
  
"Angel.... Don't go.... Please...." Buffy asked softly, opening her eyes.  
  
He turned back around to look at her, "I wont, if you don't want me to."  
  
"Stay with me, please?" It sounded as if she was pleading with him.  
  
"I will."  
  
He returned to her side on the bed, and laid down next to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close to him. She snuggled as close as she could to him, not feeling safe until there was not a centimeter between the two of them, and closed her eyes again. Angel however, kept his open, keeping an ever-alert watch over her to make sure she really was ok.  
  
A/N Please Review....  
  
Bloody SunSet 


	18. The Way You Feel

A/N Thank you buffynangelforever, blip-dragon, sandy-eco, and Kari for reviewing. And strangely enough I have nothing to say, except that if I dont finish this story in about a week, the update times are going to be pretty screwed up, maybe even a week between updates, because Ive got one overnight school trip next Wednesday to Saturday, the town fair, football camp, then my job, and everything in between with the work and the other stuff.... And now Im boring you with useless information you dont want to hear, yeah, sorry about that....  
  
Disclaimer: nope, I don't own it, but wouldn't it be cool if I did? There would be all these new episodes and others stuff....  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
**But It Feels So Right**  
  
Emerald eyes met deep brown ones as Buffy awoke then next morning, She was startled at first, but the surprise was quickly replaced with gratitude. Angel had stayed up all night, and watched over her.  
  
He smiled, "Morning...."  
  
She just smiled back and for a moment, Angel feared that she might have begun her silence routine again.  
  
"Thank you." She said, and Angel just stared at her.  
  
Why was she thanking him? He didn't need her to thank him; he had gotten something out of what had happened last night. He had gotten her, gotten the satisfaction that her father wasn't going to be able to hurt her again, not if he had anything to do with it anyway.  
  
He sighed, and began to sit up, pulling Buffy with him.  
  
"Buffy, you don't need to...."  
  
"Yes, I do. Angel you did something for me my own mother wouldn't do. You saved me, and you deserve much more than a thank you, but that's all I've got..."  
  
"And a thank you is more than I need, Buffy. I did that because it needed to be done, because I care about you, not because I wanted a reward for doing it." He explained, and was confused when he saw tears in her eyes. He looked at her concerned, "What's wrong?"  
  
"N-nothing." She said, rubbing her eyes to get rid of the tears, "Absolutely nothing...."  
  
"If it was nothing, you wouldn't be crying." He said, "Please Buffy, you can tell me."  
  
"It's just, I know what comes next," she told him, but before he could interrupt, she continues to explain. "I know how the law works, what happens to people who.... Who do those kinds of things, to people who just let it happen. I don't want to go through all that, I can't."  
  
Angel looked at her, "Buffy, I know you don't want to, but you're going to have to."  
  
She looked down. "I can't"  
  
"You have to, you will."  
  
"Angel I-"  
  
"I don't know about you, but I could not stand to see that happen to you again. And if you don't oppose your father, things are just going to get worse. It never stops if you don't try to make it, and the Buffy I've come to know, and respect and to love.... She wouldn't just let what he did to you go."  
  
Buffy looked up at Angel. He had said love. Did he really love her? He had given her so many reasons to trust in him, and just let him lead the way for her. Angel had been the light at the end of a dark and painful tunnel for her, but did she love him? Buffy didn't know. Her feelings were strong, but were they that strong? Or was it the fact that she was afraid, not willing to believe that someone actually cared about her at all?  
  
Angel looked at her, "Buffy?" he asked softly, wondering what had kept her silent, though he figured it must have something to do with that little speech he had just given.  
  
Tears formed in her eyes again, and she blinked, letting them fall freely down her cheeks. She knew what she felt, but was that how she felt, was it the same thing? Was this strong feeling towards Angel love? Buffy closed her eyes, and suddenly leaned into his chest, wrapping her arms around him, trying to make sense of the thoughts rushing around in her head.  
  
While Angel knew he had meant what he had said, and was wondering if she was upset with him, though there were a hundred other reasons he could think of that she would be upset with.  
  
Her father, the last five or six years of her life, her mother, the school, her friends, him, there were so many things she could be thinking about right now, even other things he didn't know about. From what Angel truly knew about Buffy, was that she kept to herself. Didn't let anyone know what she was really feeling, even kept him out until a couple of days before.  
  
Maybe it was because letting people in meant she had to admit things to the world what she wasn't able to admit to herself.  
  
"Angel....?"  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I love you," she said softly, pulling herself away from him, and looking into his eyes once more.  
  
Angel drew a breath, but did not speak, just a little surprised at her sudden confession of her feelings to him. And when he doesn't reply, he can see the hurt look in her eyes. And going through his mind were the same things that had just been going through Buffy's, about how he thought he really felt.  
  
But Angel still didn't respond, and Buffy was wondering if he didn't know what to say, or if he didn't feel the same way.  
  
_God, what if he doesn't feel the same way? What if he just thinks I'm a pathetic whore like my father does?_ Buffy thought, internally panicking at Angel's silence.  
  
"Angel?" she asked, her voice still soft, and filled with what he thought sounded like hope.  
  
"Buffy I...." he started.  
  
"Don't?"  
  
"No.... it's just-" again she cut him off with a question.  
  
"Can't?"  
  
"Buffy, stop. If you haven't figured out how I feel by now, then you've blocked me out of your life. I've loved you since we first danced, since our eyes really met the other week." He said, and Buffy sat shocked.  
  
This moment should have been perfect, each one of them had finally found someone that loved them, that they could love in return, but instead, it was a surprising, and fearful moment where neither of them knew what the other was thinking.  
  
Buffy was hurt, Angel was trying to help, it all seemed so simple until you threw in all the feelings that had accumulated over the last week. Then it was complicated, and confusing as hell because it couldn't be sorted out. Everything was screaming in their heads and they couldn't pick which voice they wanted to listen to.  
  
There was a knock at the door that broke the now uneasy silence that was settling in the room.  
  
"Angel? There are some people out from who would like a word with you.... And your girlfriend." It was his father's voice, and Angel knew what he was talking about. And at that moment, it dawned on Angel, his father knew about Buffy, sure he didn't know it was Buffy, but he knew his son had some things that he needed to do on his own, and he knew he could handle them.  
  
Angel stood up, and opened the door to reveal his father. "Thanks dad." He said, and watched as his father's eyes traveled to the girl sitting on his bed. He saw the look on his father's face that meant they would talk later, and then the look was gone, and his father strode down the hallway, back to his own room.  
  
"C'mon Buffy...." Angel said, turning to her, and looking at her a little uneasy, "I have a feeling I know who's here...."  
  
Buffy stood up silently, and followed him down stairs into the front hall where he saw two cops standing, waiting patiently for the two of them. Angel nodded at them, and Buffy stood partially behind him, not wanting to have this conversation now.  
  
"Good morning Officers...." Angel said, and one of them stepped forward.  
  
"We're afraid we're going to need you both to come with us so that we can talk." He said.  
  
Angel shook is head, "We can talk here, in the kitchen."  
  
"No, we can't," the second cop said, and Angel looked at him.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"She's," he indicated Buffy, "needed at the station. Her father wants to speak with her."  
  
Before Angel could, Buffy spoke up. "Tell him I don't want to talk to him."  
  
The cop nodded, "I can do that, but I don't know if he'll like it. And there was some other things we need to speak to you about."  
  
Buffy looked up at Angel, "In the kitchen?"  
  
The two cops nodded, and followed Buffy and Angel to the kitchen. They sat down across the table from Buffy and Angel, and immediately started to ask questions.  
  
"Ms. Summers? Do you believe you will be pressing charges against your father, for what he did to you?" the man sounded to professional, like he really didn't care what happened as long as it was over with soon.  
  
She hesitated and looked to Angel for support, but found no resolve in his face. He was emotionless, because he wanted her to do this on her own, and Buffy some how, got his message, and turned back to the police officer.  
  
"Yes, I believe I will be pressing charges." She said, and Angel thought she sounded like the bravest person he had even known.  
  
"Do you have a lawyer, or will you be needing one in this case?"  
  
"I do believe my family has one, but I'm pretty sure my father will use him, so I guess I'll be needing one."  
  
"Right, we will send a lawyer here in a few days to discuss how the trail will be held, and what you will need to do to prepare."  
  
Buffy nodded, and the men stood up, "Good day to the both of you, we'll show ourselves out." One said, and Buffy watched as they left.  
  
She hadn't liked those men, and she didn't believe that they should have been cops, they were too insensitive, and uninformative. The questions had seemed a little brief, but she supposed that was because she had refused to go down to the station to speak with her father.  
  
Buffy closed her eyes and sighed, knowing that she would have to get over last night if she wanted to fix this. Get over everything thing he had done to her, and throw it back in his face. Only now was different than it would have been only a week before. Now she had someone she could count on, and she knew that wasn't going to change any time soon.  
  
A/N Oh, I apologize if that was repetitive and hard to read, my thoughts were jumbled as I wrote, and I was continuously drifting off and typing poems or doing homework in the middle of this. So sorry if it's a little bit confusing.... It's just I'm trying to keep this active, and you guys happy with the fast updates so things might seem.... rushed.  
  
Bloody SunSet 


	19. Discussing Your Case

A/N Thank you so much to Orchid6297, blip-dragon, sandy-eco, Faith04, Tariq and melluvben for reviewing the last chapter. Ok, and I am sorry that this update is a little, well, late. Heh, but you have to understand, it's not my fault, really, it's the school's, complain to them! Oh, and the next chapter, well, wont be out for a week or so because I'm going to be out of state, and about ten hours away from a computer I wont get yelled at for using....  
  
Disclaimer: I'm getting a little tired of repeating myself....  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
**But It Feels So Right**  
  
Buffy sighed the other day last been quite hectic for her, even though everyone, well, Angel at least, was trying to help her out. It was a lot for her to go through, and get over real fast, and Angel understood that, which was why he never seemed to push her, if she didn't feel up to it.  
  
But even with his help, she was feeling overwhelmed. The lawyer that the police department had sent over had been nice, and actually seemed to care about the case, unlike the cops who had sent him over, and Buffy was glad. She needed someone who would care enough about the case to at least sit down and listen to her about what had happened, and tell her what they could do to win.  
  
(Flashback)  
  
_"Ms. Summers, it's nice to meet you." The young black man said when Buffy opened the door.  
  
He didn't look like he was any more than seven or so years older than Buffy, and judging by his young look, she figured he must be fresh from college.  
  
"It's nice to meet you to Mr...." She trailed off, not knowing the man's name.  
  
"Gunn, Charles Gunn." He said politely, chuckling when Buffy blushed in embarrassment.  
  
"Right, Mr. Gunn." She amended, stepping aside so that he could enter.  
  
"Please, just call me Charles, or Gunn, everyone else does." He said as Buffy closed the door, and led him into the kitchen.  
  
"Alright Charles, then you can call me Buffy,"  
  
He smiled, and sat down at the table, Buffy followed in suit. Then he brought his brief case up and set it down on the table, opening it up. He searched through it, and pulled out some papers, looking at them.  
  
"Ok Buffy. The police filed a report on your case because of the call they received from a neighbor about the noise. When they got down to your house, they had seen what happened, and were obligated to write a report on it." He looked up from the papers at her to make sure she was following.  
  
Buffy nodded at him, then asked him to continue.  
  
"Seeing as this reports your case as one of domestic violence, and you are, as of now, still a minor, when the case is won, you will be subjugated to live with relatives until you turn eighteen." Charles said, and Buffy liked the way he had said, 'when we win', instead of 'if we win'.  
  
He looked back down at the papers, and flipped the page. "If you don't have any relatives, you will be put in foster care." He paused, "Yeah, I know foster care isn't exactly what you want if that's the only choice, but you would probably be able to choose where you wanted to stay because you are almost eighteen."  
  
Buffy nodded again, letting all of this sink in. She had relatives she could live with, but they were in LA, and she didn't want to go live with them for another eight months if it meant she couldn't be with Angel. She didn't think she could let him go, even if she had to, not after what he had done to help. Wondering about this, Buffy figured Charles wouldn't mind if she asked a question.  
  
"But what if I have relatives, but I would rather stay here?" she asked, and he looked up at her again.  
  
"Well, that depends on the circumstances. If your relatives are far away, you can choose to stay here. Or, if you have a close relation to a person here in Sunnydale, I'm sure it could be arranged." He said, and then looked around, "I take it this is where you've been staying for a little while?"  
  
"Yeah, for a couple of days, and I was wondering if I would be able to stay here, instead of heading to LA where my Aunt lives, because I am almost eighteen."  
  
"I'm sure you'll be able to, if we can prove that this will be a stable environment for you to spend the rest of your minor years."  
  
"Minor year." Buffy corrected, "In fact Minor Months."  
  
He laughed, "What ever you want to call it, now let's get back to business shall we?"_  
  
(End Flashback)  
  
Charles had told her a lot about how the case was going to run, but mostly about how they were going to need witnesses, and questions to ask her father. Buffy had been a little unsure of her witnesses, there was Angel, and her mother, but technically because her mother had watched the abuse and not done anything about it, as Charles explained, she could be punished to. Buffy wasn't really keen on going up against her mother, even though she hadn't done anything to help her daughter when the abuse had begun, up until now. In fact, Buffy hadn't seen her mother for the last couple of days, even when she had returned to her house.  
  
Buffy shook off the thoughts of the trial when Angel entered the room. She smiled at him, and he came to sit down next her.  
  
"So, how did yesterday go, with the lawyer," he asked, "I fear that you forgot to mention it."  
  
"Fine," Buffy said, remembering that Angel hadn't been there for the meeting, he had been at school like his father wanted him to be.  
  
"And how were things at school?"  
  
"Willow and Xander were a little bit concerned about you running off like that, and Willow says she desperately needs to talk to you about something. I didn't ask what it was, just told her I'd tell you." He said, confused at the look Buffy was giving him. "What?"  
  
"You didn't tell them, did you?" she asked.  
  
"No, I didn't, said it was personal reasons, and they didn't ask any more questions. And I'd figured you eventually tell them anyway." He explained.  
  
"Thank you." She said, and leaned up to kiss him.  
  
He smiled when she pulled away, "Maybe I should be nice to you more often...." He mused, and she smirked.  
  
"Well, it definitely pays in your situation to be on my good side."  
  
Angel smiled again, Buffy had been a little more open with him for the last couple of days, and she seemed to be able to handle her case of her own, though if she needed him he wouldn't hesitate to help. He was proud of her for being so strong, and happy that she was finally getting herself out of this mess, even if he had had to give her a gentle nudge to get her going.  
  
There was also the fact that she seemed more comfortable around him, and though she hadn't exactly met his parents yet, he was sure she wasn't going to 'hide' from them.  
  
"Yes, I'd say it would."  
  
Buffy laughed, "So what do you say about getting out of the house for a while? I mean, I've been a real pain making you stay in for a while, and plus, your dad's kind of mad at you for not going outside a lot."  
  
"Yeah well, he can get over it if you'd rather stay inside. Really, it's up to you."  
  
She looked thoughtful for a second then looked outside through the sliding glass doors, wondering what she could do that would allow Angel to have some fun for once.  
  
"How about we.... um.... I don't know, why are you making me choose?" she asked, pouting, "All this thinking is hard...."  
  
He laughed, "Because if you want to get out of the house, you need something to do, and I want you to pick that something."  
  
"Can we go to the beach?" she asked, looking up at him.  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Can Willow and Xander come?"  
  
Angel frowned, wanting it to be a thing for just them, then decided they probably needed contact with some other humans, especially Buffy. She hadn't seen her friends for a couple of days because she had been missing school.  
  
"Sure, you call them, and then we can go pick them up."  
  
Buffy smiled, "Thank you." She said before going to pick up the phone.  
  
Angel sighed and sat down in the kitchen, waiting for Buffy to make her arrangements so that they could get going.  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
Buffy picked up the phone, and dialed Willow's number. It rang five times before someone picked up.  
  
"Hello?" a voice asked.  
  
"Hello, is Willow there please?" Buffy asked politely.  
  
"Yes, may I ask who's calling?"  
  
"Buffy Summers."  
  
"Alright Buffy, hold on."  
  
Buffy heard the phone tap the tabletop as it was put down, and a 'Willow, phone!!' being yelled. The yell was answered by an 'ok mom, one sec!', before the phone was picked up again.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey Will, it's me."  
  
"Buffy? Are you ok? Where have you been? No one's heard from you, and you just kind of disappeared at school with Angel, and everyone's talking about what they think happened, and there are so many rumors going around...."  
  
"Woah, slow down Willow. I'm fine, and I've been at Angel's for the last couple of days, nothing to worry about." She reassured her friend, stopping the babble that was streaming out of her mouth. "And what's this about rumors?"  
  
"Oh, there are a couple going around that you were kidnapped, and maybe two about your father having skipped town with another woman. And a one of the girls thinks a bunny ate you.... But I'm pretty sure no one believes her." Willow told her, remembering how fast the teens in Sunnydale were at making up rumors.  
  
"That's a little weird, but I'm fine, just needed a little bit of time to work some things out."  
  
"What kind of things?"  
  
"I'll tell you later."  
  
"Ok, so if you didn't call to explain your absence, why did you call?"  
  
"I wanted to invite you to come with me and Angel to the beach."  
  
"Sounds like fun, you can count me in!" Willow said excitedly.  
  
"Oh, do you know Xander's number? I was going to invite him too, but I don't know his number by heart yet."  
  
"How bout I give it to you later, and you can talk to him now, he's sitting next to me, trying to hear every word you're saying."  
  
"Ok."  
  
"Hey Buff, everything ok?" Xander asked, and Buffy almost smiled, Xander had a way of always sounding cheerful.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine Xand. Just wondering if you'd like to accompany Will, Angel, and I to the beach."  
  
"Sure, me and Will were planning to go today, but our parents couldn't drive, and we didn't feel like walking."  
  
"Well, Angel said he's driving, so no one will be walking today." She said, happy that both her friends were able to come, and hoping Angel wouldn't be annoyed with her for suggesting they come.  
  
"Alright then."  
  
"Ok, see you guys in about a half an hour?"  
  
"Sure, bye Buff."  
  
"Bye Xander."  
  
Buffy hung up the phone, and made her way back into the kitchen, sitting down next to Angel.  
  
"They're both coming, but we have to make one stop before we get them." Buffy told him.  
  
"And where's that?" he asked.  
  
"My house. I need my beach stuff." She explained, and he grimaced.  
  
"Right, your house, then we pick up the rest of your Scooby gang and head to the beach." He said, running through the plans, still looking a little unhappy that Xander and Willow were coming.  
  
She hit his shoulder lightly, and rolled her eyes getting up, "C'mon Mr. Sullen, let's get going."  
  
Angel shrugged, and stood up, following her out front to his car.  
  
A/N um.... Yeah a lot of dialogue in this chapter, not a lot happening towards the end either, sorry about that. To tell the truth, this is probably why I stop writing stories after a while, they start to get kind of boring, and I tend to get writer's block, so tell me if you want me to continue and I'll try to get a chapter out before I leave on Wednesday.  
  
Bloody SunSet 


	20. Support From Friends

A/N Eep! Sorry, sorry, sorry! I didnt mean for this to get out so late, but I was away from a computer for four days, and my brain shut down on this story. Thats kind of what historical stuff does to you.... Thank you to Tariq, Lozzi1403, melluvben, kittten ish, sandy-eco, ashy123, BAshipper101, and Katie for reviewing the last chapter.  
  
Disclaimer: ALL Buffy characters are copyrighted to Joss Whedon, and all others who created the show.  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
**But It Feels So Right**  
  
The sun was warm on her face; the sound of waves had done a lot to clam her nerves, and the fact that she was out with her friends made Buffy feel happier than she had in a while.  
  
She and Angel had picked up Willow and Xander at Willow's house, and driven down to the beach. They had been there for about an hour, and Buffy was beginning to wonder if the two of them were even going to question her about her absence from school.  
  
Opening her eyes, she sat up and looked around, squinting at the ocean. Xander appeared to be trying to it on the surfboard, and when he finally seemed to gain his balance, Willow pushed him off, back into the water.  
  
Buffy laughed, and smiled at her friends, who weren't aware she was watching them, then crossed her legs under herself, wondering if she should go join them. But before she could make up her mind whether to go or not, two large, soft hands quickly covered her eyes.  
  
She jumped, frightened by the fact she that she didn't know whom it was, and the fact it had been so random.  
  
"Guess who?"  
  
The voice was deep, comforting, and Buffy immediately recognized it.  
  
"Angel." She said, not even having to guess.  
  
His hands left her eyes, and he moved to sit next to her, "Yep, how'd you guess?" he asked with fake disappointment.  
  
"I was lucky." She replied.  
  
He chuckled, and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her into his lap. She didn't protest against his actions, and laid her head back on is shoulder. He kissed her neck, the nibbled on her earlobe.  
  
She giggled, and closed her eyes, enjoying the moment, before a splash of extremely cold water washed her out of her content state.  
  
Buffy's eyes snapped open, and she screamed, jumping up in surprised. She looked around quickly trying to figure out who had done it, and saw that Angel was completely drenched and standing too. Willow and Xander standing behind where the two of them had been sitting with two buckets, laughing hysterically.  
  
She scowled at them, "That wasn't funny guys!" she said shaking her head to get some of the water off.  
  
Willow stopped laughing and looked at Buffy, "Yes it was." She said.  
  
"Yeah, you should've seen you guy's faces." Xander chimed in as he stopped laughing.  
  
"Yeah, but now I'm all wet and cold." Buffy said, pouting.  
  
Angel put a towel over her shoulders, and wrapped his arms around her. "Better?"  
  
She smiled and kissed him, "Yeah, but that doesn't do much for my cause."  
  
Xander blinked and cleared his throat, "Ok guys, let's keep this PG while I'm around, ok."  
  
She rolled her eyes at him, and Angel sat back down on the blanket they had set up. Buffy was just still a bit annoyed at the Willow and Xander from interrupting her moment with Angel, but she would get over it, after all, she had invited them.  
  
"So Buffy, what have you been up to for the last week?" Willow asked, trying to start a conversation and to get Buffy to explain what had been going on like she had said she would over the phone.  
  
"Nothing much." She lied, partially because she wanted to discuss what had happened to her with Willow alone, and so that Xander wouldn't freak out.  
  
"Well, you skipped school for a while, tell me that wasn't fun." Xander said, smiling at her, not understanding that she hadn't been skipping, she had been hiding.  
  
"It wasn't." she said monotonously, and Xander looked confused.  
  
"You mean to tell me that you skipped out of school, and didn't have fun while doing so?" He asked, and then answered himself. "That is not something I would expect from a high school student.  
  
"Sorry to disappoint you Xand, but I didn't skip to have fun, I needed some time to figure some stuff out, girl stuff."  
  
Xander still looked clueless, and Buffy looked over at Angel hoping to get him to help her, but he stayed silent.  
  
"Wait. You mean you skipped out of school to do girl stuff.... Like shopping?"  
  
Buffy sighed, "No Xander, I was having trouble with my family, got confused and decided staying away from the school would be better for a while."  
  
"What kind of family trouble?"  
  
Buffy hesitated in answering him, then took a deep breath, "Well, that's kind of why I invited you guys here. You're my closest friends and I know I should have told you earlier."  
  
Xander and Willow both looked confused and Buffy babbled about what she should've done, until Willow spoke up.  
  
"What is it Buffy? You know you can tell us anything." She said.  
  
Buffy sat down on the blanket next to Angel, Willow and Xander did the same, across from them.  
  
"My father.... Well, he's not the greatest person in the world, and he sometimes gets mad at his job, or at me for stuff." she looked down, "So he can get violent. That's why I've been out of school."  
  
Willow blinked, but didn't speak, making sure she had this right. She just couldn't believe that Buffy had gone through something like that and didn't tell her. A part of her was angry with her friend for not trusting her enough to tell her, but that feeling didn't overwhelm the feeling of guilt that this had happened.  
  
Xander on the other hand was clearing upset, and angry, but it wasn't at Buffy, it was at her father, he couldn't believe someone would do that her. He also, like Willow, couldn't believe that Buffy hadn't told him about this.  
  
"You weren't with your father that whole week, were you?" Xander asked, obviously concerned about Buffy's predicament.  
  
"N-no. I've been staying with Angel for the last four or five days." She told him, looking back up at her friends, "I was kind of scared to go home."  
  
That was the first time she had admitted her fears aloud, to Angel, or anyone else, and she was a little surprised that it didn't make her feel ashamed to say. Even though she did feel a little bit ashamed that she couldn't return to her own home and feel safe.  
  
"And you had reason to be Buffy." Willow said, looking at Buffy and frowning, wondering how long this had been going on. But instead of asking questions, Willow left her comment as it was, and waited for her friend to continue, then Xander sighed as if some kind of bad realization hit him.  
  
"Buffy?" He asked, and she nodded at him, "What are you going to do when your parents say that you have to go home? I mean, you are 'under-aged', so don't you have to live with them?"  
  
She shook her head, "No, the police found out and my father's in jail.... For now at least, they're holding him there until the appeal."  
  
"Appeal?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm taking my father to court as recommended by the police. If I win the case, I can stay with Angel instead of my parents, and my father will most likely be sent to prison." She told them. "But I'm not really sure what will happen to my mother. I know they said she wouldn't be allowed to be my guardian because she witnessed the abuse and didn't do anything to prevent it, but I'm not sure what's going to happen to her."  
  
Angel took Buffy's hand in his own, and looked at her, "Nothing bad's going to happen to your mom Buffy, but she might be in trouble for not doing anything."  
  
Buffy glanced at him, "But she didn't do anything-"  
  
"And that's exactly why she's going to be in trouble." He explained.  
  
"It's not fair to her, it wasn't her fault." Buffy said, not knowing exactly why she was defending her mother, but it felt right to her.  
  
Angel sighed, "Buffy, your mother let this happen all that time, and did nothing to stop it."  
  
"I know. It's just, I don't want anything to happen to her."  
  
Buffy leaned against Angel, and he wrapped his arms around her, both temporally forgetting that Willow and Xander were still there.  
  
"Buffy?" Willow asked timidly.  
  
Buffy looked at her, "Yeah Will?"  
  
"I hope you win." She said, and Buffy knew she was referring to the case.  
  
"Yeah Buff, put that guy where he belongs." Xander said.  
  
It felt good to know that her friends were behind her in this, and that they weren't going to disown her because of it. She had always though people wouldn't like her because of what had happened to her, and that they would look down upon her.  
  
Faith and Pike, and a couple of the other people in her 'old gang' understood, and had still been her friends, but that was mostly because they had had parents like that at one point, or had been in situations that had made them feel like she did. Buffy reminded herself to thank Faith for the advice she had given her on Monday, and maybe even spend some time with her old friends, that was, if Angel would let her out of the house.  
  
Her old friends weren't exactly who he wanted her hanging around with, but she could probably win him over and spend a day or two with Faith after this whole thing with her father was over.  
  
"Thanks guys." She said, half smiling at her friends.  
  
Angel looked up at the sky where there now were some dark clouds blocking the sun. He glanced at the others.  
  
"Maybe we should get out of here. That is, if we want to stay dry we should." He told them, and they then noticed the how dark it had gotten.  
  
Buffy stood up, and the others quickly followed suit, "Angel's right, it looks like rain."  
  
"Yeah, that would be a great idea." Willow said, and then added, "Unless you guys want to get soaked."  
  
"Nah, c'mon, let's get going." Xander said.  
  
He grabbed his surfboard, and Buffy wondered if he even knew how to surf. She shook off her thoughts when raindrops began to fall. Grabbing the blanket just as it began to pour, they all headed for Angel's car.  
  
Angel was relieved that he had put the top up on his car, and that the convertible wasn't completely soaked on the inside as they all got in. As was everybody else, they were wet as it was and didn't really want to be sitting in a puddle.  
  
Buffy looked at him and smiled, sure they were soaked, but she was happier. Her friends knew what was going on, and they didn't hate her for it, nor did they hate her for not telling them sooner. And on top of it all, she had pretty much had a good day. Spending almost the entire afternoon with Xander, Willow and Angel had been a great time for her, even if they had gotten rained out.  
  
When he smiled back, she felt something warm inside her, despite the fact that she was shivering from the cold, and she liked it. It was the feeling she always got when she was with Angel. Warm, content, and happy, the way she wanted to feel all the time.  
  
A/N Ok, a little better mood, I think, anyway, this story may take a trip back down that miserable road were everyone's angry and crying. Yeah, so, how am I doing? Do you guys hate me for updating so late? Did I mention I was sorry? Please Review!  
  
Bloody SunSet 


	21. Time To Think

A/N Chapter 21 never thought Id ever get here.... Thank you to Katie, melluvben, Amai745, Sandyeco, and Jangel for reviewing! Maybe if Im lucky like four people will review and Ill get 100. That would be so cool!!! Oh, and I changed my Username, but its still me! I swear!  
  
Disclaimer: I refuse to say it, unless someone's going to sue me....  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
**But It Feels So Right**  
  
Monday, a great day of the week if you weren't going to school, but also a bad day when your boyfriend was, and you weren't. But there also was the fact that today was the day Angel was going to formally introduce her to his parents, and Buffy was feeling a little nervous.  
  
What if they didn't like her? What if they said she couldn't stay here, what would she do then?  
  
Buffy was pondering all of this, and trying to concentrate on a book Angel had given her to read, and so far the only part of the book she'd read was, 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....' But then again, everyone knew those lines even if they hadn't read 'A Tale Of Two Cities' it was like, universal or something.  
  
Giving up completely on Mr. Dickens, she closed the book, and set it on Angel's nightstand. There was too much for her to be thinking about for her to be reading a book. Especially a book about the French, and the fact that she really disliked the French because she had to learn their language as a requirement made it even more bothersome to read.  
  
So instead of reading about beheadings, and the French during their revolution, she concentrated of thinking about what was going to happen in court. She hadn't talked to Gunn since they had first met, and was just a little anxious to see him again, and discuss what she was going to need to know in order to get everything right, and beat her father in court.  
  
She also wasn't exactly sure when she was supposed to go to court, but she figured Gunn would speak to her a couple of times before she had to. And they would probably go through every thing she could say, couldn't say, and how everything was going to go. Or at least she thought they would, it was what always happened in those jury movies....  
  
Buffy sighed; it was still only ten thirty. Angel was going to be in school for another three and a half hours at least, and she just wanted to be with him. Not thinking about the case, not reading a book, not sitting here with nothing to do. She wanted to lie with him, and have him just talk to her, tell her it was going to be all right, and that he was going to be there for her. Just hold her, and be there, that's all he had to do to keep her happy, because that's all she wanted.  
  
To be wanted.  
  
She shook her head, and lay down on the bed, looking up at the ceiling wondering how long she could sit here without going crazy. At least when she'd had to go to school, she'd had something to do all day, even if it was boring stuff.  
  
Closing her eyes, Buffy yawned, fatigued from the thinking she had been doing, and because she hadn't gotten that much sleep last night, and the fact that she hadn't been out of bed that morning except when Angel had gotten up for school made her feel lazy. That's what it was a lazy tired feeling, and she didn't like it all that much. But not liking it wasn't making her want to move anymore than she had already. Maybe Angel wouldn't mind if she just curled up and went to sleep....  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
"....And the equivalent fraction in this problem would be....um.... Mr. O'Connor?" the teacher asked, snapping Angel out of his dazed look.  
  
"What...? Oh.... Um....1/3?" he asked more than answered, looking up at the math teacher, having no clue at what he was being asked.  
  
"I'm sorry, no. Anyone else?"  
  
One hand shot up in the class, and the teacher's attention was drawn away from Angel to another student, relieving Angel from having to actually answer the question. Not paying attention to the other kids answer, Angel went right back to staring into space a blank expression on his face, thinking.  
  
_What if Buffy feels alone today, maybe I should have let her come to school today. I hope she's ok. Wait, why am I worrying? Buffy will be alright, I'm only going to be gone for a couple of hours more, and she's just as capable of staying alone as I am. I can't think of her as being helpless, because she's not._ Angel thought, _I just wonder if she wanted to stay home, maybe she wanted to come here, talk to Willow and Xander more...._  
  
The bell rang and the entire class minus Angel stood up and began to move towards the door. When Xander noticed his friend not moving, he walked over to him, and whacked him on the arm.  
  
"C'mon man, we're half way through the day, don't fall asleep on us now."  
  
"Huh? Oh, sorry Xand, just a little bit zoned here, thinking about stuff."  
  
"Aren't you always? Anyway, it's lunch time, c'mon." Xander said, as Angel stood up and they both made their way to the cafeteria.  
  
"So.... This stuff you were thinking about, was it Buffy?" Xander asked as he, Willow and Angel sat down at a table.  
  
"Yeah, why?" Angel asked looking at him.  
  
"No reason, how is she by the way?"  
  
"Good, she's doing very good. Better than I would have thought she was doing." Angel replied smiling.  
  
"That's good," Willow said, pulling an apple out of a brown paper bag. "Hey Angel?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You wouldn't mind if I stopped by tomorrow, and you know, talked to her or something, it's just, I kind of miss having someone to talk to about, well, girl stuff, and if she's feeling better, I'd kind of like to just, you know...."  
  
"Will, you're babbling." Xander interrupted.  
  
"Oh, right sorry about that.... Yeah so maybe just hang with her, you know, girls night out or something?" she finished, looking at Angel sheepishly.  
  
"Yeah, if she's up to it, it's really not my decision to make you know, she's her own person."  
  
"Ok then, can I plan on Tuesday, or are you guys doing something...?" Willow asked, taking a bite of her apple.  
  
"Sure, just swing by the house, but you might want to call first. Let her know you're coming."  
  
"Ok, sounds good. I'll call tonight, unless...."  
  
"Willow! Just call, you don't have to keep putting in that unless, it's annoying!" Angel said exasperatedly.  
  
"Sorry, I just don't want to interrupt if you guys are busy." She said, smiling innocently at him.  
  
"Willow I swear...."  
  
"Sorry! It wont happen again, promise." She said crossing her finger over her heart.  
  
Xander looked at Willow, and shook his head, "Will, you're acting more like a guy everyday. With the obnoxious comments, the suggestive comments...."  
  
"Yeah, but the best part is, I'm not one of the guys." She said, smiling.  
  
Angel shook his head; his friends could be a little weird sometimes. Ok, more than a little, and more often than sometimes. But when they joked, you could tell they weren't serious, and that's what made them great friends. You could tell when they were serious, and when they were joking, unless Willow went all monotonous, then it got confusing.  
  
Looking around the lunchroom for Spike, Angel saw him sitting with Dru, and sighed, his cousin was a real dork sometimes. Most of the time he was just stupid, but this was defiantly new territory for him, and Angel was hoping that he didn't fall for that girl, mostly because it would mean she would be at his house, but also because she was crazy.  
  
Thinking about girls, Angel's mind once again wandered back to Buffy. What was she doing? Why didn't he let her come to school? He had to talk to her when he got home, even if that was in, like, an hour or so, he could wait just a little longer.  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
Buffy sighed and sat up. She hadn't moved for the last two hours, and her leg was asleep. She tried to stand, but fell back over on to the bed. Grumbling, she stands up and shakes her foot, trying to get back some of the feeling in her leg.  
  
She rubs the sleepies out of her eyes, and yawns. School was out, where was Angel? She shrugged, and grabbed some clothes out of the duffel she had grabbed from her house a couple of days ago.  
  
Pulling them on, she opened the door to Angel's room, and walked out into the hallway. Looking down the hall, her eyes fall upon that strange black door she had noticed a while back. (A/N yeah, that door actually had a point before....)  
  
She walks toward it until she finds herself close enough to see in detail the carvings. Little roses, and vines weaved themselves in the wood, climbing in every which direction. She slowly placed her hand on the doorknob and turns it.  
  
She slowly opened the door, until it was fully open in front of her. She gasped at the room that lay before her as she moved into it. The walls were painted a light shade of pink, and the bed was two tall mattresses, that came up to her waist. As opposed to the wooden floor in the rest of the house, there was a tinted white carpet.  
  
A dresser lay in the corner, the top scarcely covered. A small porcelain jewelry box and a hairbrush were all that covered its surface. Buffy reached forward to open the box, then pulled her hand back.  
  
This room didn't look like it was used a lot, maybe that meant she wasn't supposed to be in here. She turned and retraced her steps to the doorway, and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.  
  
"Having fun?"  
  
Buffy jumped at the sound of someone else's voice, surprised, having thought she was alone. She turned to face the speaker, and found herself just a little guilty about going in the room when she saw Angel.  
  
"Sorry.... It's just that that room felt different than all the others and I...." She tried to explain.  
  
"It's alright Buffy, you're allowed in there, but you could've just asked if you wanted to see it."  
  
She looked up at him, "Well, I didn't realize I wanted to see it until just now, other wise I would have asked. I didn't touch anything." She said, hoping that would amend for going in there.  
  
Angel smiled at her, "It's my mother's room, I wouldn't let my father change it after she died, so he left it the way it was."  
  
Buffy stayed silent, not knowing what she could or wanted to say to him at that moment.  
  
"I go in there to think sometimes, it just has that peaceful feeling to it, and I like that," he said, looking down at her.  
  
She smiled nervously at him, still unsure of what she should say. He gave her a reassuring look, and she realized she didn't have to talk to comfort him. She didn't have to do anything. He wasn't over his mother's death, but he could talk about it.  
  
"Angel."  
  
He sighed, and nodded at her, they both moved down the hallway to his room. Angel closed the door behind him, and sat down on the bed next to her.  
  
"Gunn called my cell today." He said, looking down at her.  
  
"He did?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Yeah, he didn't know the home phone, and I'd given it to him a while back. He was a friend of mine when I was a freshman, one of those guys who comes to the school, and tells about college. Anyway, he said he wants to talk to you tomorrow down at the station about your father." Angel told her.  
  
"Right, I can do that, if you'll give me a ride there." She said, not liking the idea of talking to her father, but knowing it needed to get done.  
  
He smiled, "I will, but that means you'll have to come to school tomorrow, and I'll need a note from my dad, I'm sure we'll get down there some how."  
  
"When?"  
  
"Around ten o'clock. So.... You want to come to school tomorrow?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, I think it will be good for me." Buffy said, smiling at the fact that she'd get to mingle with her friends for the day, instead of being stuck here. Not that being stuck here was bad or anything....  
  
"So, what do you want to do now?" he asked.  
  
"How about we stay right here?" she asked, moving so she was sitting in front of him.  
  
"Sounds fine to me." He said, and she smiled.  
  
Buffy leaned closer to him, and kissed him softly. She then found herself laying on top of him, when he grabbed her around the waist, and pulled her down on him. She laughed, and kissed him again, finding it easy to relax when he was around.  
  
A/N Eep! Sorry, it was really late. I have writer's block and it's hard to think of stuff, I'm really sorry! Anyway, hope you guys liked the chapter, you can tell me by **_reviewing!!_**  
  
Darkened Ages 


	22. Meeting His Parents

A/N sorry this is so late. Thank you melluvben, Rachel, Kari, Tariq and Diana for reviewing the last chapter.  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing.... As of now....  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
**But It Feels So Right**  
  
Opening her eyes, Buffy looked around, smiling. She knew Angel was there, holding her, keeping he safe, and she also knew he was sound asleep by looking at him. She giggled and kissed his forehead.  
  
He didn't stir, except for the smile that formed on his face. She grinned, and cuddled up against his chest, kissing him once more before closing her eyes again, just wanting to stay lying down with Angel for as long as she could. But the silence was soon interrupted by a loud knock on the door.  
  
"Peaches, your parents want you up, it's six o'clock, and you're being lazy and you have school, if I may quote them, and Buffy, you're free to stay up here as long as you want, but don't expect breakfast if you don't come down stairs soon." Spike called through the door.  
  
Angel groaned, and pulled a pillow down over his head, completely ignoring Spike, Buffy however, got up immediately, and went into Angel's bathroom to change.  
  
Knowing that Angel wasn't going to get up on one interruption of his precious beauty sleep, Spike opened the door, and threw a small pillow at his cousin. Angel growled at his cousin, and sat up, "Ever heard of knocking?" he asked.  
  
"I knocked, you grumbled something, Buffy, well, I'm not sure if she was in here or not, but she's not now, and you're still in bed, so I decided it would be appropriate to wake you up." Spike said, "And plus, your parents want to meet Buffy I guess. And my question is, why haven't they already, she's been staying here for like a week."  
  
"Go away Spike." Angel said, throwing his pillow at him.  
  
Spike easily avoided the flying pillow, "Hey now peaches, no need to kill the messenger, I'm just doing a favor for your parents. Now get up so I don't have to come back up here young man." He said, and then laughed leaving the room, closing the door with a satisfying (For Spike anyway) slam.  
  
Angel grumbled again, but got up anyway. He went over to the bathroom door, and, not expecting anyone to be in there he opened the door. Luckily, Buffy was fully dressed, but she did look extremely surprised at Angel's sudden appearance.  
  
"You should be one to be talking about knocking Angel," Buffy said, reminding him of what he had said to Spike, "This _is_ a bathroom you know."  
  
"Yeah, but it's my bathroom, wasn't expecting anyone to be in here." He replied, kissing her.  
  
"Yeah, but the door was closed." She said, pulling her brush through her hair.  
  
"You were dressed."  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes, "That doesn't matter, you should have knocked."  
  
"Fine, next time I'll knock, ok?"  
  
"Good," she said, gabbing her stuff, and moving out of the bathroom, to put it away. Angel closed the door behind her, so Buffy sat on the bed and waited for him to come out, thumbing through a magazine she had found on the floor.  
  
When he opened the door, Angel was visibly looking better. He smiled at her, "Sorry, I'm a bit annoying in the mornings, pretty much every morning, not a morning-kind-of-guy," he said, and she smiled.  
  
"That means you an every-other-time kind of guy, right?" Buffy asked then blushed, finding that that had sounded different than it was supposed to.  
  
"C'mon, let's go down stair, you can meet my father, and Nancy." Angel said, taking her hand and leading her out the door and down stairs.  
  
Buffy followed him downstairs and into the kitchen. Angel's Stepmother, and his father greeted the two of them.  
  
Nancy smiled at Buffy, and said a 'hello.' Buffy smiled back, and said, "hi." It came out a little more timid than she wanted it to, but Nancy just kept smiling. Angel's father on the other hand frowned at his son.  
  
"Angel?" he asked, getting straight to the point he added, "How long has she been staying here?"  
  
"A little while, maybe a week." Angel told his father, as he and Buffy sat down at the table across from Nancy.  
  
"And why didn't you tell us?"  
  
"I was afraid you would tell her she had to go home, and she really couldn't."  
  
"Angel, you should really tell us these things. I'm sure you knew if you'd explained the situation, she could've stayed." He said.  
  
Angel frowned, and looked at Buffy before answering her father, "Well, Buffy really didn't want anyone to know, and I had to respect that sir."  
  
"Yeah, but you could have informed me about her staying here." He said sternly, shaking his head, "But I guess what's done is done." He looked at Buffy, "it's nice to finally actually meet you." He said.  
  
"You too sir." Buffy said a little quieter than she would've liked. Why was she being shy? Why couldn't she just greet his parents like she greeted her friends?  
  
Angel looked at his father, again, "She's going to be staying here for a bit longer too, dad. I mean, if it's ok, but she's really got nowhere else to go." He said, as if he thought his father was never going to say yes.  
  
"It's alright Angel, just don't be making a racket, or doing anything stupid." His father said, without really thinking all that much. Buffy had been here for a while, and he barely noticed her, so he figured it would be ok if she stayed longer than she already had. It didn't really matter to him; he would probably never see her.  
  
Buffy smiled in relief that she was aloud to stay, then looked to the door as Spike walked in.  
  
"Good morning all." He said, smirking at everyone. "I trust we've got all our yelling out, so I figured now would be a good time to come down again."  
  
"William, just because Angel has a guest, doesn't mean you're off the hook. We still got that call, and you're still in trouble young man." Nancy said, looking at Spike.  
  
"Ah bugger this...." He looked at Buffy; "You should've gotten them to forget that, made them all happy or something, or gotten peaches in trouble...." He mumbled, sitting down at the table next to her.  
  
"What you do this time Spike?" Buffy asked, looking at him curiously.  
  
"William here had a little brush with the police last night. He apparently was caught drunk outside a club with a girl. And seeing as he was under aged, he got in a lot of trouble." Nancy said, frowning at Spike.  
  
"Well at least I wasn't hiding a girl in my room for the last week." Spike said.  
  
"Not going to work." Nancy told him, "Angel's not in trouble for what he did, because he had a good reason.... You on the other hand."  
  
"Someone spiked my drink!" he cried, "It wasn't my bloody fault!"  
  
"You should know better William." She told him, but Buffy and Angel didn't catch the rest of the conversation, they left quietly through the back door, escaping to the beautiful day outside.  
  
Buffy looked at Angel when they stopped in the shade of the large tree Angel had in his backyard. She smiled, and Angel yawned. He was tired, staying up all night talking to Buffy had gotten to him, even though he hadn't been tired at the time, now he was regretting not going to sleep.  
  
He and Buffy sat down, Angel leaning against the tree, Buffy leaning against him, both closing their eyes, glad to be away from the now busy room that was Angel's kitchen. It was normally quiet, especially in the morning, when everyone was gone or asleep. They had a few minutes before they had to leave for school, and Buffy really didn't fell like going. Neither did Angel for that matter.  
  
She yawned, and opened her eyes, "You know, we do have to move eventually...."  
  
"Key word, 'eventually'" he said, not opening his eyes.  
  
She elbowed him in the stomach after fifteen minutes, "C'mon Angel, let's get going."  
  
"Right." He said opening his eyes, and standing up, "I'll get my keys."  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
Buffy looked up at the familiar school building, it seemed different some how, but that was just the effect of not going for a week or so, and expecting to come back and not have missed anything.  
  
Angel wrapped an arm around her waist, and they went inside to homeroom, finding their normal seats, Buffy left Angel, and sat down next to Xander and Willow. The three of them instantly began to talk, about what Buffy had missed, about how things that were coming up, and how Faith had made an appearance at school once that week she had been gone.  
  
Buffy sighed, "I have so much catching up to do." She said.  
  
"Yeah, but you should've seen what happened with the science projects-" Willow started.  
  
"Oh my god! The science project! Willow, I'm so sorry." She said.  
  
"It's ok, our project wasn't to hard, plus, Xander helped me out a little with the getting of the information." Willow said, smiling, "But you should've seen what happened to Cordelia and Harmony."  
  
"Yeah, they tried to do Willow's project, you know, before she was working with you, and they completely screwed it up. Nothing was right, and none of it made any logical sense what so ever." Xander said.  
  
"Yeah, and then they tried to explain it, and all I learned was that fruit loops don't come in every color of the rainbow."  
  
Buffy smiled, she missed this, the part of school that was fun. Talking to your friends about how the kids who 'never' make mistakes, screw up extremely bad. But there was just the fact that she wasn't alone anymore that made her feel better too. Willow and Xander had a way of making anyone smile, just because they always seemed to be really happy themselves.  
  
The bell rang, and they all went to their classes, still talking about stupid things that had happened over the last few days or so. Buffy trying to take in everything she had missed so she wouldn't be behind in everything. Willow helped Buffy talk to the teachers, and because the teachers all really liked Willow, they gave Buffy a break on homework. One more reason it's great to have friends. 


	23. First Day In Court

A/N I know near nothing about court cases, so Ive been watching reruns of _Law and Order_ for the last couple of well.... at least two hours or so.... And I did a little bit of research; so if anyone actually knows how a court case goes, please hesitate to yell profusely at me.   
  
Thank you mz.sarJe, melluvben, and Slayerchick33 for reviewing!  
  
Disclaimer: Why am I still typing this? Oh yeah, to avoid any court cases of my own....  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
**But It Feels So Right**  
  
Buffy looked around the court room, there were people she didn't know staring at her from the jury seats, and people she knew staring at her from behind. Gunn sat next to her, going through the evidence, the hospital 'check-up' report was on the top of his pile.  
  
She cringed as she looked at it, there were pictures of her cuts and bruises on it, they had even wanted pictures of some of her scars, and the fact that she could remember, how she gotten each one of them made her sick.  
  
Swallowing hard, she glanced behind her. Angel sat; next to a couple of cops who were also witnesses, on the isle behind her. He was going to be their best witness, besides Buffy's mother, who had reluctantly come to court, afraid of what was happening. Buffy's father sat at the other table set up for the defense, he was chatting quietly with his lawyer, and Buffy wondered how he could be so calm.  
  
She on the other hand was so nervous, she was sure she was shaking in her chair. Her stomach churned uneasily as she thought of what the case meant. It meant she would have to admit to everyone what had happened, she didn't think she was ready. It had been a couple of weeks since she had first told Angel; she had been terrified of telling him, and she was supposed to be able to tell him anything. But the fact that she knew he was there, comforted her a little bit, and she realized something.  
  
Being here also meant she was going to be free. Free to live normally without her father's constant abuse. She could go about life being normal if they won.  
  
No, not if, when. She had to keep telling herself that they were going to win; that they had the evidence, and there was no way her father could weasel his way out of it. No way he could possibly deny what he did, and get away with it.  
  
"All rise for the Honorable Judge Mathew." Said the bailiff from his standing position in front of the judge's stand.  
  
Everyone stood, and the judge took his seat, surveying the crowd. "You may sit." He said, banging his gavel.  
  
And everyone sat back down, except for Gunn, and all eyes were now on him. He looked up at the judge, and moved from his seat to stand in front of the table. He motioned to the bailiff, and the cop approached him.  
  
"Your Honor, I would like to introduce this case as one of abuse. My client, Ms. Summers," he motioned to Buffy, "Has made the claim that her father, Hank Summers, abused her both physically and mentally since she was a Juvenal."  
  
Gunn grabbed her medical records off of the table, "If I may?" he asked, Judge Mathew nodded, and he handed the bailiff the folder full of papers.  
  
The bailiff placed the folder in front of the judge, and he opened it, looking through the photos, and skimming the reports as Gunn continued to speak.  
  
"As these hospital records show, Ms. Summers here, has been admitted to a medical facility more than a dozen times with serious bruises. Let it be known, that each time she was admitted to a hospital, it was in a different town, and no records were transferred." He said.  
  
The judge glanced at Gunn, and handed the folder to the bailiff, who gave it back to him. Gunn set it on the table before continuing.  
  
"My client has told me she has moved around a lot, her family would leave a town as soon as anyone asked about her limping, or if she had a large bruise. They left without telling anyone, not even the friends she had made in the different towns...."  
  
As Gunn told the jury and judge about how she had described to him about the moving, and the suspicions of the people she knew, Buffy glanced at the jury, all of them seemed to be listening to her lawyer intently, and considering the evidence.  
  
It had already been pretty much proven that her father had hit her, but she wasn't exactly sure how the court system worked. She knew Gunn did though, so she stayed silent for the time being.  
  
Gunn finished his speech, and grabbed some more papers. Buffy knew one of them was a witness list, but she wasn't sure what a couple of the others were. Maybe something to do with reluctant witnesses, who couldn't appear in court, or maybe it was the list of things Buffy had told Gunn she wanted out of this case. She would just have to listen to find out.  
  
"In my hand I hold a list of witnesses, who have either directly dealt with Ms. Summers in their clinics, or have personally seem the beatings take place. Some of the witnesses were unreachable, but a couple or them are present today." Gunn said, glancing to where Angel, three doctors, and about six or so cops sat. "Seeing as my case has been set out, I will rest until the witnesses are called to stand."  
  
The judge nodded, and Gunn sat down, he glanced at Buffy and smiled, she smiled back, but it soon faded when her father's lawyer stood up.  
  
He began to speak, and Buffy couldn't believe the words that came from the man's mouth. Did he know that her father was a lying bastard? Or was he just in this case because he had been forced to?  
  
"My client," He nodded to Hank, "Does not deny he hit his daughter, however, he has stated to me that it hasn't happened as often as Ms. Summers states. He has said that it is true that have moved a lot as well, but that is due to the fact that his job required moving for promotions, and after a hardship there, he was let go and is currently looking for work."  
  
The Judge's facial expression didn't change during the case once, nor did the jury's, and Buffy was wondering if that was a good thing.  
  
Her father's lawyer kept going on about how this case could not be considered abuse, because his daughter was never injured enough, or for some other reason. Buffy wasn't exactly sure, because he was using a lot of overly large words, which she figured were there to make him look like her knew what he was talking about, and also made him seem right.  
  
She was getting angrier every time he said that she had not been abused. And that witness had just witnessed a normal verbal fight that they would at any other household when two people were upset. She gritted her teeth, and took a deep breath, like hell her father hadn't done what she said he'd done, and he was even such a coward that he would lie about it to those who knew different.  
  
A recess was called about a half an hour after Hank's lawyer had begun speaking so that both parties could speak with and go over evidence with their clients. Buffy was reeling after listening to how her father had made that man lie about such things. She knew the recess was going to last a full eighteen hours, and she didn't know whether or not she was relieved to be out that room, or mad that she couldn't prove her father wrong right then and there.  
  
As soon as Buffy had spoken with Gunn, she had gone to find Angel. She saw him sitting outside on a bench, talking with his cousin. As soon as she came over, Spike got up, and walked away. Buffy silently thanked him as Angel looked up at her.  
  
"Hey." She said softly, sitting down next to him.  
  
"How you doing?" he asked, and she frowned slightly.  
  
"I can't believe he's denying it. I mean, there's so much evidence against him, why can't he just let me win, and leave me alone?" she asked, not really expecting her boyfriend to answer, just needed to ask the question.  
  
"I don't know. Some people are like that. He's just mad because he lost his power over you, and that was probably something he didn't want." Angel said, "But Buffy you have to remember, men like your father, they have problems, and you're just going to have to beat him here, and make him realize that."  
  
"I know, that's what Gunn keeps saying, well, about the part where I have to win and stuff. I'm not really sure what that means though."  
  
"It means you wont have to live with your father anymore. He wont be legally allowed to be your legal guardian anymore." Angel said.  
  
"I know, but still, this is just all so.... So weird to me. Like, it's really not happening, but it is...." She said, looking up at him, "And all I want is for it to be over."  
  
She leaned against him, and sighed as he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her forehead.  
  
"I know, but just wait, in a couple of days it'll all be over, and you won't ever have to think about it again." He said, and Buffy smiled, it was great to just sit in Angel's arms, especially because he was just so nice to her all the time. He was nice, comforting, and strong for her, and she never even had to ask.  
  
"Thank you Angel." She said.  
  
"For what?" he asked, looking down at her.  
  
"Just for being here, for everything you've done." She said, and he smiled.  
  
"You don't have to thank me Buffy." He told her, but she shook her head, and moved out of his arms.  
  
"Yes I do, and don't think that what you've done doesn't mean anything, or was nothing, because it meant a lot to me, just having you here with me."  
  
He smiled at her, but didn't answer, instead, hugged her close to him again, until they both decided to go home and get some rest. 


	24. Dreams Are Confusing

A/N Ok, so I didnt screw up the last chapter as much as I thought I did, go me! Oh, but this chapter may come across as very confusing to everyone.... Yeah, sorry about that....  
  
Thank you, Melluvben, Kari, Katie, KaraBella, Mela, and mistymidnight for reviewing the last chapter!  
  
Disclaimer: lalalalalalalalalala... la!  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
**But It Feels So Right**  
  
Buffy glanced over at Angel, as she sat down on his bed, feeling guilty about him having to testify in court. Right now, it was all she could do to relax, and keep telling herself that this case wouldn't take much longer, that it was going to be over soon, and that she was going to win. She had to; otherwise she wasn't sure if she would be able to live again. Not with her father, and without her angel. Pun defiantly intended.  
  
She sighed in frustration, letting what had happened earlier run through her mind again, but that only made her angry. Her father, the one who had made her life a living Hell, was denying everything he ever did to her. Denying that he had abused her, even though he had.  
  
What was his problem? Couldn't he see it would be easier for him if he had just never hurt her, and that denying it was going to get him even longer where ever he was going when he lost?  
  
She sighed again, and lay back, covering her face with a pillow, her anger focusing on something else. Why hadn't she done this earlier? Why had she waited until now to get him off of her back?  
  
Because she hadn't had anything, any reason, for her to go through with it all. Sure, the freedom would have been nice, but she would've been stuck with her aunt and cousin, in a place she didn't know anything about. Now, she had a place to stay, that she wanted to be in, and someone who cared about her. She had a reason to keep going in life.  
  
But now, sitting on his bed, staring at him, she was wondering whether or not she should have him involved with this part of her life. Sure, he said it was not big deal; that he wanted to help, but he had never asked to be thrown into her life like this, and she'd rather he didn't. She'd rather have met him after she had gotten the courage to do this on her own, that way, they would have never had to go through this.  
  
She smiled at Angel as he lay down next to her, glad just to have him there, and rolled on her side to look at him.  
  
"Angel?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"What do you wanna do?" she asked, thinking of the few things they could do in the ten hours they had left before she had to go back to court.  
  
"I dunno, think of something, and I'll do it." He said, looking at her.  
  
"Well, I want you to choose."  
  
He thought for a second, "You wanna go out for ice cream?"  
  
She smiled again, "Sure, if you want to."  
  
"Ok then, let's go." He said, but neither of them moved, and Buffy laughed.  
  
"That was very successful." She said, "Maybe we should just stay here, you know, just chill for a little while."  
  
"Ok, seeing as my legs don't want to work, I guess that's ok."  
  
He sighed, and looked at the ceiling, closing his eyes for a moment, before he found Buffy lying on top of him. At first he raised his eyebrows, then, he just smiled, kissing her softly.  
  
"You know, I could get used to this," she told him, "The nice, quiet days at home.... With you."  
  
He kissed her again, and said, "I'm already used to it."  
  
Buffy smiled at him, and laid her head down on his chest, closing her eyes.  
  
Neither of them spoke for a long while, both just happy to lie there and let the day go by knowing that the other was there. But after about an hour, Angel started to get restless, he wasn't one to always lie around.  
  
He had been thinking the entire time, wondering how much it would take to bring her father down, how much longer it was going to take to put him where he belonged, how long before Buffy could have the life she deserved.  
  
Maybe this wasn't the thing to be doing, barging into her life, and trying to help, even if he thought she needed it. Angel wasn't sure now if he had done this the right way, though he was sure he had done the right thing by helping her get this far. The thing that was bothering him was that, if he hadn't come along, what would have happened to her? What other things might her father have done to her. Angel really couldn't say, and, knowing what Hank Summers was capable of, he didn't want to think about it.  
  
Of course, Angel hadn't admitted his fears about this entire ordeal to Buffy, wanting to make her feel that everything was ok, and that she could come to him to make sure everything was alright. He didn't want her to know that he was having a hard time with this, almost as much as she was. And then there was the whole thing where Buffy was trying to be as strong as she could, instead of just opening herself up, and as he saw it, she might not be telling him everything he should know.  
  
He sighed, and looked at her, noticing that her eyes were still closed. He gently moved her off of him, and whispered to her.  
  
"Buffy, are you awake?" he asked softly, so if she was asleep, he wouldn't wake her.  
  
He got a soft moan in reply, and again smiled to himself. She was asleep; happy in whatever dream world her mind had created for her. And she was smiling despite everything that was happening in the real world.  
  
Sitting up on the bed, Angel shook his head, clearing it of all the thoughts he'd previously had, and trying to replace them of thoughts that would provoke happiness in his mind, something to get him ready for the long day he knew tomorrow was going to be.  
  
He slip off the bed, and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him, hoping Buffy wouldn't worry if she woke up and he wasn't there.  
  
(::::::::::)  
  
Buffy grumbled, and rolled over in her sleep, feeling restless, and overly tired, even though she was getting that much needed sleep she had wanted. She sighed, and curled up into a ball, somehow knowing that Angel was gone even though she hadn't been conscious when he had left.  
  
_A light? Why is there a light? Is it dark out? Buffy wondered, looking around the strange new area. She could've sworn she'd never set foot in a place like this before.  
  
"Hello?" she called.  
  
Hearing her voice echo across the empty space made her shiver, and grow fearful that she might never find out why she was here.  
  
"Angel?" she asked, the now dark that surrounded her.  
  
Again, no response from around her, only a dull, whistling noise that seemed to come from every direction at once.  
  
She stepped forward, and a light flashed around her, illuminating the area.  
  
It was blurred, but she now found herself staring forward, into the same courtroom she had been in yesterday, and would be in tomorrow. She blinked, but the room did not focus, instead, it seemed to blur even more.  
  
She brought her hands to her face, and rubbed her eyes, only to find, that when she moved her hands she was back in that empty space, only now she wasn't alone.  
  
He mother stood in front of her, dressed in a flowing blue dress. Her eyes were puffy with tears, and she looked frightened. She looked at Buffy with widened eyes, but made no move to get closer to her daughter.  
  
Buffy looked confused, and reached out at her mother. As soon as her hand connected with her mother's, she disappeared, leaving Buffy alone.  
  
Buffy blinked. What's going on here? She asked in her mind, slowing turning in circles to look around once more.  
  
She hung her head and closed her eyes once more, feeling that she was now truly along in the strange place, but when her eyes opened again, a new person stood before her, a person she recognized right away.  
  
"Angel?" she asked, and he smiled at her.  
  
"Hey Buffy..." he said, smiling at her.  
  
He stepped nearer, and then stopped a few inches from her. She reached out to touch him, but his voice stopped her.  
  
"Don't.... it'll only make things worse...." He said, and Buffy blinked.  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked, feeling very confused.  
  
"Don't reach out to things, let them come to you...." He said, and Buffy shook her head.  
  
"What do you...."  
  
"Sh.... It's here." He said, pointing behind her.  
  
Buffy turned and looked behind her, but saw nothing more than a small piece of paper fall fro nowhere, and land noiselessly on the ground.  
  
"Angel what does...." When she turned back to face him, Angel had disappeared, and for the longest time Buffy just stood there, staring at where he had just stood._  
  
Buffy woke up, a feeling of deep confusion in the pit of her stomach. Why were her dreams always so cryptic? Why was she never able to understand them, and why was her mother there?  
  
She shook her head vigorously, then sat up, looking around for Angel. Where had he gotten off to now?  
  
"Angel?" She asked, knowing that unless her was in the room, he wasn't going to answer.  
  
She sighed and got up, walking out of the room, and down the hallway. She saw Angel coming up the stairs, just as he saw her.  
  
"Hey you." He said, walking up to her, and hugging her, "How'd you sleep?"  
  
"Good, but you didn't." she said, stepping away from him.  
  
"Buffy, please don't-"  
  
"Angel, I'm worried about you. You keep trying to make everything with me fine and you're neglecting yourself. Please, I need you to do something, go have fun, and leave me to my moping or what ever I have to do." She said, "You need to have some fun, you need to just.... Just leave my life as it is for a little while, and go life yours."  
  
He looked at her, "I'll do that as soon as you realize that you're part of my life, and I'm doing exactly what you want me to now."  
  
She rolled her eyes, "Angel, you know that's not what I meant. Go have some fun with Xander, or one of your other friends for the night, I promise I'll be here when you get back."  
  
He shook his head. "No, because I need to talk to you about some things for tomorrow that Gunn wanted me to clear up...." He said, taking her head, "C'mon, I'll fill you in." 


	25. Recess Is Over

A/N Hullo.... I am predicting only a couple of more chapters for this story, and then once its finished, I can work on my other two.... Or three....  
  
Thank you, Melluvben, mz.sarJe, Melanie, Anna, Katie, urangel, Kari, mistymidnight and KaraBella for reviewing the last chapter!  
  
Disclaimer: The fact that Joss doesn't mind us writing fanfiction makes me not want to write this disclaimer anymore....  
  
Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?  
  
**But It Feels So Right**  
  
Buffy once again found herself in a courtroom. The one she had seen in her dream, the one she had been in just eighteen hours ago. The only difference now, was that she knew what was going on. She was no longer confused by the people who stood all around her. Gunn, who was looking though all the papers over again. Her father and his lawyer taking over things, what she figured to be lies, and Angel sitting behind her, looking like he was more nervous to be here than she was.  
  
She bit her lip, trying to remember her dream. Her mother had been there, and in her dream, her mother had been crying. Had Buffy made her cry? Why had she appeared, and what had Angel meant? Why didn't it make any sense?  
  
She lowered her head, and covered her face with her hands, rubbing her temples. The judge was still yet to come out, and that made Buffy feel like she had some extra time to think.  
  
She knew she would have to testify in front of her father's lawyer, and so was Angel, he would also have to answer all of Gunn's questions. They were planning to use Buffy's mother, but she wasn't here yet either. A couple of doctors, and one of the nurses from the LA General Hospital were there, sitting looking around the courtroom, like they had never seen one before. There was also one of her neighbors there, the one that had called the police the night Angel had saved her.  
  
_Ok Buffy, just stop thinking_ she told herself, _Thinking will only make this harder to understand._  
  
"All rise for the Honorable Judge Mathew." The bailiff said.  
  
Everyone stood up, including the jurors, who were still looking as emotionless as they had the day before, as the Judge entered and took his seat.  
  
"You may sit." He said.  
  
And everyone did, save for Gunn, who remained standing, folder in his hand, ready to begin the case.  
  
Judge Mathew nodded at him, and Gunn began to speak, laying out a list of witnesses he had found that supported Buffy's case. He restated most of the things he had said back on the first day in court, and then preceded to call his first witness.  
  
"Mr. Angelus O'Connor." He said, turning to Angel, and motioning for him to stand and make his way to the stand.  
  
Before he was allowed to sit, the bailiff held out the bible for him. "Do you swear to tell the truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" he asked.  
  
Angel said yes, and sat down, feeling nervous with all the eyes in the courtroom on him, including Buffy's. She was looking at him with the utmost regret in her eyes, sorry for making him do this for her.  
  
Gunn stood before Angel, pacing back and fourth before he stopped and looked at him.  
  
"Mr. O'Connor, is it true you and Miss. Summers are close?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"So, you are in a relationship with her."  
  
"I am."  
  
"Are you aware of any abuse to Miss. Summers."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"Can you explain, or tell the court when you first noticed the abuse?" Gunn asked.  
  
Angel looked at Buffy, then back to Gunn. "I can." He started, "About a week after I met Buffy, she came to school with large bruises on her arms that she hadn't had the day before."  
  
"Now, is this the only time you have seem her with bruises?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Have you witnessed any of the abuse?"  
  
"I have."  
  
"Can you tell us what happened?"  
  
Angel took a deep breath. "After I dropped Buffy off at home, I waited in my car until she got inside the house. I was about to leave when I heard a scream. I immediately got out of my car, and ran inside." He paused, and a look of pain flashed on his face as he remembered, vividly, what had happened that night.  
  
"Her father had her in the corner, and he was holding his belt in his hand. She had new bruises on her body, and belt marks across her faces that were visible to me." He said.  
  
Gunn nodded, "Is this the only time you witnessed the abuse first hand?"  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"Can you explain what happened afterward?"  
  
"I brought Buffy back to my house after we talked to the police about what happened."  
  
"How did the police get there?"  
  
"The neighbors heard the commotion and call them."  
  
"No further questions." Gunn said, and Angel looked relieved, until Hank's lawyer stood up.  
  
"I have some questions if that's alright with you, your Honor." He said, the judge nodded at him, and he stepped out from behind his desk to stand in front of Angel.  
  
Gunn said down back in his seat next to Buffy, who gave him a pleading look. What was going on? She wasn't aware that this was allowed to happen.  
  
"Mr. O'Connor. You told the court you have a relationship with Miss Summers, is that correct?"  
  
"It is." Angel told him, wondering what this guy was going to pull.  
  
"So, how far would you say your relationship with her has gone?"  
  
Angel was about to answer, only because he knew he was under oath, when Gunn spoke up.  
  
"Objection." He said, and the judge looked at him.  
  
"On what grounds?"  
  
"Relativity of the question." Gunn said, standing.  
  
The Judge nodded, agreeing with Gunn, and looked at Hank's Lawyer. "Next question."  
  
"Right." He looked from the Judge to Angel. "Now, you said you had intervened with the ill edged abuse. But before this, had you ever met Mr. Summers?"  
  
"I had not."  
  
"Than what gave you the idea, that this was ongoing, or that you had jumped in during abuse, and not just a normal house hold argument?"  
  
"Before the night I took Buffy home, during school, she had bruises all over her body. And, if in fact what you are implying sir that hitting your daughter with a belt is a normal household argument, then I would have to say I did interrupt one." Angel said, looking at this man with extreme dislike.  
  
The lawyer cringed, before getting an idea. "You said you took Buffy home, so where had she been that you had to bring her home?"  
  
"She was staying at my house."  
  
"Did her mother or father know of this?"  
  
"No, they did not."  
  
"So, you took their daughter into your home, without informing anyone in her family?" he asked, and when Angel stayed silent, he added a comment, "Sounds like kidnapping to me."  
  
"Objection!" Gunn practically yelled.  
  
This time the judge didn't even question the grounds, knowing fully what this other lawyer was trying to do. He looked down at Hank's lawyer and said, "Keep you assumptions to yourself, and if you are done questioning the witness...."  
  
"I am, your Honor." He said, and moved to sit down.  
  
The bailiff walked up to Angel, and let him go back to his seat behind Buffy, who seemed more than angry at the moment. She was fuming.  
  
_A kidnapping!? Taking someone into your home and helping them, is kidnapping now!?_ Buffy thought, gritting her teeth as Gunn stood up again. She didn't notice the calling of the next three witnesses, nor did she pay attention to the questioning, too busy wondering about how a man like that could be called a lawyer.  
  
She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Angel had told her that Gunn had mentioned other lawyers doing things like that to win the case, but she hadn't imagined that it would take place in her case. She never knew this was going to be so hard.  
  
"Miss Summers?" Gunn's voice came, Buffy barely heard it. "Buffy?"  
  
she shook herself out of her daze, and looked up at Gunn. He motioned for her to stand up and she did.  
  
"Please approach the stand, Miss Summers." Hank's lawyer said, and Buffy swallowed. She didn't think she was actually going to testify.  
  
She stood up, and walked to the stand, taking her oath before sitting down, and looked at everyone in the room.  
  
Her father's lawyer stood in front of her. She almost glared at him, but thought better of it, and remained emotionless as he began to question her.  
  
"Miss Summers." He began, "Is it true that you left your parents' house without them knowing, and stayed away for almost a week."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And is it true that you stayed with a Mr. Angelus O'Connor?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"In all that time there, did you once think of what was going through your parents' minds?"  
  
"No."  
  
"So, you didn't care that they might have been worried about you."  
  
Buffy was about to answer, when Gunn's voice once again rang out in the court room, "Objection, Your Honor."  
  
"Again, Mr. Gunn, on what grounds." The Judge asked, looking down at him.  
  
"He's leading my client." Gunn said, standing, and looking up at the judge.  
  
"Over ruled." The judge looked at Hank's Lawyer, "Move it along."  
  
Buffy inwardly sighed, she didn't want to have to answer that question, nor anymore questions so she hoped that this would be over soon.  
  
"No further questions." The Lawyer said, sounding a little bit annoyed.  
  
The bailiff helped Buffy down from the stand and she returned to her seat, just as Gunn called the next witness. Her mother.  
  
Buffy's breath caught in her throat. Her mother was wearing the blue outfit she had been wearing in Buffy's dream the night before, and she looked scared, looking the way Buffy had felt before her testimony was over.  
  
Gun paced in front of the stand after Joyce had been sworn in, thinking of the questions he would have to ask.  
  
"Mrs. Summers, Joyce if I may." He said, and she nodded, "Have you ever witnessed any signs of physical abuse, or abuse itself on your daughter."  
  
"Yes." Joyce looked as if she were holding back tears.  
  
"And you never did anything to alert authorities?"  
  
"No."  
  
Gunn nodded, "Even though it was your own daught-" Gunn didn't get to finish.  
  
"Objection. He's leading the witness." He heard Hank's lawyer call.  
  
The judge looked at Gunn, and nodded in agreement. "Move it along, Mr. Gunn."  
  
Gunn looked at Mrs. Summers, then changed questions. "Why is it you never reported any of this abuse?"  
  
Joyce hesitated, then remembered, if Buffy won, she had nothing to worry about. "I was afraid." She told Gunn.  
  
"And why was that."  
  
"My husband threatened me. Told me he would kill me if I told anyone."  
  
"No further questions." Gunn said, and he went to sit back down.  
  
Buffy's mom had tears streaming down her face when she stepped down off the stand and returned to her seat. Not only would Hank not be able to touch her or her daughter when this was over, (That was the good part) but, if Buffy won, Joyce was pretty sure she'd lose custody of her child as well.  
  
Joyce had been the last witness, and the jury called a recess to look over witness accounts, and files of the case to reach their verdict. As it turned out, Buffy would be returning to court the next day, whether she wanted to or not.  
  
It killed her that they couldn't just give them the verdict now, and let the case rest. It was bad that she had to go one more day without knowing if she could finally be free of the life she had been, painfully, forced to live for the last few of years of her life. But if that's what it took, she could wait. And right now, she wasn't really thinking she had a choice in that anyway. 


	26. The Verdict Is Reached

A/N Thank you to buffyalora15vampr, Melanie, NoFx1018, melluvben, Kari, KaraBella, Katie, mistymidnight, Branci and BAshipper101 for your reviews, some of them I found quite helpful when thinking how I should write this chapter.

Also, this is the final chapter I think, but I might write a sequel.... Eventually, but only if you guys really want one.

Disclaimer: Last chapter.... So this is the last time I'll write it in this story.

Summary: Buffy's just a normal girl who's lost her way in the world, but what happens when another lost soul captures her heart, and refuses to give it back?

**But It Feels So Right**

It had been one, maybe two hours since the jury had called their recess, and Buffy was feeling a bit, well, antsy. She wanted, no, needed to know how this was going to end, it wasn't fair that they couldn't just tell everyone the verdict right then and there, and end the case once and for all.

She sighed, and lay back against the pillows on Angel's bed. She hadn't gone back to her house in a long while, even though now it was just her mother that occupied it. She couldn't bear to see her mother. It hurt her to think that she might have been the reason she had started crying in the courtroom, that it was all her fault all of this had happened.

No. It wasn't like that. She had to keep telling herself that. This was no more her fault than it was her mother's, Hank Summers was the one to blame, and now, instead of finding herself afraid of him, she found herself not even able to call him her father anymore. She didn't think he deserved to be anything more than dirt at this point in his life, and she had to make sure that he got what was coming to him.

Thirty years in prison is what Gunn had told her he would get for the abuse, and that seemed to satisfy her, even though she believed he deserved life. At times, she had asked Gunn questions about what it would be like for him in prison, of course, Gunn said he didn't know, seeing as he had never been there. But she couldn't help but wonder what it was going to be like for him.

Buffy shook her head. That wasn't the only question she needed the jury to answer for her. She needed to know if she was going to be able to stay with Angel until she turned eighteen. Which was in a couple of months, anyway. She wasn't really sure what she was going to do if she had to go live with her cousin and aunt in Los Angeles.

Yawning, she blinked a couple of times, and turned over to look at the clock. She had to be back in the courthouse tomorrow at six thirty, sharp. It was just too painful to watch the clock all day, seeing as it was only about half past five in the afternoon right now.

She got up and stretched, bored with just sitting there. Deciding that it would be fun to get out of this room for a little while might do her some good, well, as long as Angel was there too.

Then again, He'd done his disappearing act earlier, and she hadn't seen him since they'd gotten back to his house. She sighed, and left the room, wandering down the hallway, and downstairs to the kitchen.

She found Spike sitting at the table, writing something in a small black book. She sat down next to him, and looked over his shoulder.

"Whatcha doing Spike?" she asked, and he jumped, quickly closing the book.

"Nothing." He turned to look at her, wondering how she'd managed to sneak up on him like that.

"Really, 'cause it looked like something...." She said eyeing the little book he held in his hand.

"It's nothing, really." He told her, hiding the book in one of the small pockets on the inside of his duster.

She rolled her eyes at him, "Right Spike. You're writing in a small black book, a diary maybe?"

"No way." He said, looking at her like she was crazy, "The difference between guys and girls is that guys don't keep diaries, or do a lot of things that girls do for that matter."

"Oh, and the fact that guys are guys and girls are girls." Buffy said.

He shook his head, "What ever you say, pet. Just seriously, you really shouldn't sneak up behind people like that."

"I'll keep that in mind Sir Jumps A lot." She said, smirking at him, as she stood up, "Oh, by the way, have you seen Angel lately, I've kind of been looking for him."

"Nope, haven't seen the poof as of late. You might want to check out side though; I think I might have seen him out there earlier." Spike said, nodding towards the door.

Buffy nodded and got up, she figured Spike was just guessing about where Angel was because he didn't want her hanging around while he was doing.... What ever it was he was doing. She shook her head, it didn't really matter Spike was free to do what ever he felt like doing.

She opened the door, and moved into the backyard, enjoying how the warm air greeted her as she left the house. She smiled when she saw Angel sitting under the small cherry tree in his yard.

The tree didn't have any cherries on it any more, but it was still a great to sit in the shade on a hot day, or just a great place to sit in general. She walked over to him and sat down next to him.

"Hey Angel." She said, smiling at him.

He smiled back at her, and kissed her lightly, "Hey."

She pouted when the kiss ended, then looked at him. "I'm sorry."

He looked surprised at her words, "About what Buffy?"

"In court the other day, I know you really didn't want to do that." She explained, "So I'm sorry I made you testify...."

"Buffy, listen, I didn't have to testify if I really didn't want to, and you have to stop being sorry. Just accept that I'm not just doing this because you want me to, I'm doing it because I want to help." He said, seriously, wrapping his arms around her.

"Then thank you." She said, snuggling against him, and closing her eyes, "Thank you so much."

He smiled again, and held her close to him, both happy for her, and happy that this was almost over. They both needed some time to relax, and get this whole thing off of their minds.

(::::::::::)

Buffy and Gunn both stood in the courtroom, eagerly waiting for the jury to reappear and take their seats. The Judge sat quietly, watching the door the jurors would come through with their verdict.

Buffy ground her teeth together anxiously, occasionally glancing over at Hank and his lawyer to glare at them. She felt like she knew what was going to happen, that really annoying feeling in the pit of her stomach was telling her something. The same thing that the back of her mind was trying to tell her.

What if they lost?

But she pushed all those thoughts away, and focused on thinking she was going to win. Thinking that the evidence they had had been enough, and that she wouldn't have to live with her father ever again. That she could finally have a life free of abuse.

The jurors reentered the room, and filed into their seats, the last one to come in handed the bailiff a small sheet of paper, which he walked over to Judge Mathew. The Judge took the paper and looked it over. The whole courtroom regarded him anxiously, waiting for him to say something.

"I find this case in favor of Mr. Gunn and his client, Miss Buffy Summers." He said, and Buffy's heart leapt, she had won, "But the jury has also decided that because Miss Summers is still a minor, even by a couple of months, she must stay in the custody of family."

"Seeing as her mother, Joyce Summers, has lost the privilege of having custody of her daughter, and her father, Hank Summers, has been found guilty of both physical and mental abuse to his daughter, will be serving three sentences of ten years in prison." He paused and looked over the paper, then continued, "Miss Summers will be sent to live with her only living relatives, her aunt Glory, and her cousin Dawn in Los Angeles, California."

Judge Mathew banged his gavel, "I here by declare this case closed, and the clients to do as the results have indicated."

All the joy Buffy had been feeling disappeared, and she felt almost empty. She didn't get to stay with Angel, they only person she really trusted? And was instead going to stay with relatives that she had never really met? How could that have happened?

She looked at Gunn, who frowned at her, "I'm sorry Buffy. I tried as hard as I could to get you to stay here in Sunnydale, I even tried to play the 'she has to finish school' card, but it didn't work." He explained, "You'll be aloud to come here as often as you want to see friends and even your mother if you want to, but you can't move up here until you're eighteen or if your aunt moves up here, permanently."

"You mean there's no way I can stay here, and live here?" she asked.

"I'm sorry Buffy, but no, you can't."

Buffy looked down at the ground, tears in her eyes. Everything always had a draw back didn't it. She had won, but she had to leave, how could this be considered fair?

Feeling a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist from behind, Buffy looked up, and turned her head to see Angel looking down at her solemnly. She turned herself around in his arms, and buried her face in his chest. But she didn't cry, she didn't think she could. The shock of the case not coming to the right conclusion was enough to keep the tears in her eyes.

She took a deep breath, and looked up at Angel. He wiped her eyes with his thumb, and kissed her forehead.

"Angel...."

"Sh... It'll be alright Buffy." He said, "I promise, they can't keep me away from you."

"But Angel.... I have to leave...." She stated, but he didn't let her finish.

"Just think, only a couple of more months, then you're going to be eighteen, and school will be over, and you can come back home." He told her as they both left the courtroom for the final time.

She tried to smile at him, but it only came out half way, and not a very good indicator that she was actually happy.

He took her by the shoulders, and looked her directly in the eyes, "You still my girl?" he asked, wanting to know if she'd try to move on in the time they'd be apart.

"Always." She promised, and leaned up to kiss him.


End file.
